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HOPKINS  ANTIQUES 

MEIGE  AND  ROBlRT 

1434  LINCOLN  BLVD. 

EXbrook  3-8866 

SANTA  MONICA,  CALIf 


-tec* 


SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION 

BUREAU  OF  AMERICAN  ETHNOLOGY 

BULLETIN  74 


EXCAVATION  OF  A  SITE  AT  SANTIAGO 
AHUITZOTLA,  D.  F.  MEXICO 


BY 


ALFRED  M.  TOZZER 


Bi^'-' 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1921 


LETTEB  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


Smithsonian  Institution, 
Bureau  of  American  Ethnology, 
Washington,  D.  C,  January  13,  1920. 
Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  the  accompanying  manuscript, 
entitled  "  Excavation  of  a  Site  at  Santiago  Ahuitzotla,  D.  F.  Mexico," 
by  Prof.  A.  M.  Tozzer,  and  to  recommend  its  publication,  subject  to 
your  approval,  as  a  bulletin  of  this  Bureau. 
Very  respectfully, 

J.  Walter  Fewkes, 

Chief. 
Dr.  Charles  D.  Walcott, 

Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 

3 


X 


V 


PREFACE 


The  investigation  described  in  the  following  paper  was  under- 
taken by  the  writer  as  Director  of  the  International  School  of 
American  Archaeology  and  -Ethnology,  Mexico,  in  the  winter  of 
1913-14.  It  was  due  to  a  suggestion  from  Senor  Don  Manuel  Gamio, 
Director  of  Antiquities,  that  the  site  in  question  was  selected,  and  it 
was  due  to  his  official  permission  and  to  his  courtesy  and  aid  that  the 
work  was  carried  on.  To  his  brother,  Senor  Rodrigo  Gamio,  Mexican 
Fellow  of  the  School,  my  thanks  are  due  for  long  continued  and 
faithful  assistance  in  the  excavation,  and  to  Clarence  L.  Hay,  Esq., 
Harvard  Fellow,  I  owe  many  valuable  suggestions  in  carrying  on 
the  work,  and  I  also  thank  him  for  aiding  me  in  the  general  super- 
vision of  the  excavations.  Dr.  Herbert  J.  Spinden  has  given  me  some 
suggestions  regarding  the  nomenclature  of  the  pottery  classification. 

5 


CONTENTS 


Page. 

Introduction 13 

Name  and  location  of  site 14 

Type  of  site 14 

Age  of  site 15 

Orientation 15 

Plan  in  general 15 

Description  of  plans  and  sections 16 

Order  and  method  of  excavation 17 

Higher  floors 17 

Tunnels 19 

Pits 19 

General  description , 21 

<  'instruction 21 

Walls 21 

Floors 22 

Drains 23 

Roofs 23 

Stairways 23 

Fireplaces . 23 

Decoration 24 

Wells 24 

Ash    deposits 24 

Pit  XVI 25 

Pit  XV 25 

Pits  XXIV,  XXV 25 

Ash  stratum 25 

Sequence    1 25 

Rehuilding 26 

Detailed  description 26 

.Main  Structure . 26 

Terraces 26 

Construction 27 

Walls 27 

Patio 27 

Room  I 28 

Room  II . 28 

Rooms  III,  IV 28 

Rooms  V,  VI 28 

Floor  A 29 

Floor  A' 29 

Continuation   of  terraces 30 

Room    X 30 

Floor   G 30 

Room   XII 30 

Floor  on  east 31 

7 


8  CONTENTS 

Detailed  description-  Continued.  Page. 

Southern   Extension     31 

Room  IX,  Floors  II.  K,  F 31 

Rooms  VII,  VIII 32 

Room  XI,  Floor  E 32 

Northern  Extension 33 

Floor   M  33 

Room  XIII,  Floors  X,  O 33 

Higher  level   floors _  33 

Floor  B 33 

Floor  B' 33 

Floor  C 34 

Floor  on  east 34 

Lowest  floors 34 

Floors  in  Tunnels  n-p 35' 

Floor  P 35 

Floor  R 3.1 

Floor   Q 36 

Xiclies  in  Tunnels  e,  h 36 

Sequence 37 

Period  I 38 

Floors  in  Tunnels  nr-p 38 

Floors  Q,  R,  P__.             38 

Wells 38 

Period  II 38 

Main  Structure 38 

Refuse  ash  pits  XV,  XVI,  XXIV 38 

Period  III 38 

Southern   Extension -  38 

Floor  F 38 

Period  IV 38 

Additions  to  Terraces  on  all  four  sides.                                     ___  38 

Period   V 39 

Northern  Extension—     .         .">'•> 

Floors  M-0 39 

Room   XTII 39 

Floors  J,   y 39 

Period  VI 3!* 

Floors  B.  C,  B'  and  i hni  on  east —  39 

Period    VII 10 

Wall  over  Floor  M l'» 

Floor  E j 40 

Period  VI II  40 

Floor  A   over  Patio     1" 

Period    IX K» 

Floor  A' 41 

Artifacts    41 

Skeletal    remains    II 

stone  objects  42 

Shell  objects i- 

Ihiman   figurines 4U 

Archaic   type  42 

Toltec  type                                                42 

Coyotlatelco  type 42 

Aztee    type 43 


CONTENTS  9 

Artifacts — Continued.  Page. 

Animal    figurines 43 

Adornos 43 

Whistles  and   flageolets 44 

Incense  burners 45 

Pottery  disks,  buttons,  marbles   45 

Rubbers  and   stamps 45 

Spindle   whorls 46 

Ear  plugs 46 

Molds 46 

Pottery 46 

Type  I,  Archaic  white 47 

Type  II,  Incised 47 

a,  Volutes  in  bands 47 

b,  Red  slip,  all-over  curved  design 47 

c,  Deeply  incised,  birds  and  animals 47 

d,  Deeply  incised,  red  paint  in  lines 47 

e,  Elaborate  designs,  background  cut  away 47 

f,  Yellow  slip,  elaborate  designs 48 

g,  Thin  orange  type,  incised  and  punctate 48 

h,  Incised  lines  following  painted  design 48 

i,  Culhuacan  gray ■  48 

Type  III,  Cuneiform 48 

Type  IV,  Textile  marked 48 

Type  V,  Grooved 49 

Type  VI,  Stamped 49 

Type  VII,  Molded 49 

a,  Elaborate  figures 49 

b,  Line  of  figures  near  bottom 50 

c,  Multiple  or  assembled  figures 50 

d,  Three  handle  type 50 

e,  Molded  and  punctate 50 

Type  VIII,  Fillet  applique 50 

Type  IX,  Embossed 51 

Type  X,  Carved.-.                     51 

Type  XI,  Stick  polished 51 

Type  XII,  Painted,  Coyotlatelco  type 51 

a,  Interior  design 52 

b,  Exterior  design 52 

Type  XIII.  "  Lost  color  "___. 53 

Aztec  types 53 

Type  XIV,  Red  polished  Aztec 53 

Type  XV,  Wide  line  Aztec,  Culhuacan  type 53 

Type  XVI,  Fine  line  Aztec,  Tezcoco  type 54 

Type  XVII,  Orange  Aztec 54 

Pottery  shapes 54 

Pottery    feet 54 

Bibliography 56 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PLATES 


1.  Plan  of  upper  levels  of  excavation  with  sections  o-b,  o-d,  e-f. 

2.  Plan  of  lower  levels  with  tunnels  and  sections  g-h,  i-j,  h-l. 

3.  General  view  of  site,  looking  north. 

4.  a,  Looking  west  from  Patio,  showing-  part  of  the  entrance  to  Tunnel  y. 

Floor  P.  and  entrance  to  Tunnel  /  under  Room  I.  6,  Floor  A.  Room  I, 
and  Pit  XIX.  with  the  entrance  to  Tunnel  d. 

5.  a,  Main  structure,  looking  north,  showing  Eastern  Terrace,  Floor  B,  and 

Patio,  b.  Northern  part  of  Main  Structure,  showing  Floor  A  and  Rooms 
V  and  VI. 

6.  a,  Southwestern  corner  of  excavation,  showing  Room  IX  with  foundations  of 

pillars,  Floor  H,  and  Room  X.  b.  Northern  Extension  with  Room  XII, 
Floors  M  and  B',  and  Room  XIII. 

7.  a,  Southern   Extension  with   Rooms  XI,  IX,  and  X,   and  southern  end   of 

Room  II.  //.  Northern  Terrace,  looking  west,  with  Room  VI,  Floor  B', 
and  Room  XIII. 

8.  a.  Top  of  mound  with  Floor  A  uncovered.     b.  Floor  A,  break  in  floor,  show- 

ing the  upward  slope  at  edges  of  floor,  c,  Room  II,  showing  the  two 
levels,     d,  Northern  end  of  Room  IX,  showing  the  overhang  of  the  wall. 

9.  a.  Archaic  body  from  tunnel  under  Room  II.     b.  Archaic  body  from  Pit  XVI. 

c,  Toltec  body  from  Pit  XXV,  above  wells,  d.  Archaic  figurine,  e,  /, 
Archaic  head. 

10.  a,  Toltec  head  with  holes  in  forehead,  from  tunnel  under  Room  II.     b,  Toltec 

figurine  from  beneath  Floor  A.  c,  Toltec  head  and  body  from  Floor  B. 
(/,  e,  Toltec  head  of  God  Xipe  from  Pir  XV. 

11.  a,  Toltec    figurine,    Coyotlatelco    type,    from    Pit    XVI.     ft,    Toltec    figurine, 

Coyotlatelco  type,  from  wells,  c,  Toltec  figurine.  Coyotlatelco  type, 
from  excavation  to  west  of  road. 

12.  a,  Aztec  head  from  above  floor  of  Room  IX.     b,  Aztec  head  from  above  floor 

of  Room  II.  e,  Crude  Aztec  figurine  from  above  Floor  B.  d.  Crude 
Aztec  figurine  from  above  Floor  A.  e,  Crude  face  from  Pit  XV.  /,  Gro- 
tesque head  with  perforations  on  nose.  g,  Animal  figurine  from  above 
Floor  B.     h,  Owl  head  from  Pit  XVI. 

13.  a,  Ocelotl  head  from  Pit  XVI.     b,  Deer  head  from  Pit  XVI.     c,  Deer  head 

attached  to  olla  from  near  surface  in  southwest  coiner  of  site.  <l.  Ani- 
mal figurine  from  Pit  XV.  e,  Hollow  figure  of  deer  from  upper  levels. 
f,  Portion  of  serpent  head  from  above  Floor  M. 

14.  Incense  burner,  showing  the  use  of  adornos  on  the  cover. 

15.  a,  b,  Incised  Toltec  pottery,  Type  Ha.     c,  Incised  Toltec  pottery,  Type  He. 

d,  Grooved  Toltec  pottery.  Type  V.  e,  Undecorated  Aztec  olla.  f, 
Molded  Toltec  pottery.  Type  VHb.  g,  Three-handled,  molded  Toller 
pottery,  Type  VI Id. 

16.  a,  Molded  design.  Type  Vila,  from  Pit  XXV.     6,  Molded  design.  Type  Vila, 

from  tunnels  under  Room  I.  r,  Molded  design.  Type  VHb.  d.  Molded 
design,  Type  Vile,  from  Pit  XXV.  e,  Molded  design.  Type  VI  Id,  from 
Pit  XV.     /',  Molded  design.  Type  Vile,  from  l'ii   XXV. 

n 


12  ILLUSTRATIONS 

17.  a,  b,  Fillet  design,  Type  VIII.     c,  Fillet  design,  combined  with  molded,  Type 

VIII,  from  under  Floor  A.  d,  e,  Fillet  design,  Type  VIII,  from  Pit  XV. 
/,  Embossed  design,  Type  IX.  g,  Embossed  design,  combined  with 
incised  lines.  Type  IX.  from  wells.  //.,  Carved  design,  Type  X,  from 
tunnels. 

18.  a,  Painted   interior  design,  Coyotlatelco  type,  Type  Xlla,  from   Pit  XV. 

b.  f,  Painted  Interior  design,  Coyotlatelco  type,  Type  Xlla,  from  Room 

IX.  c-c  g-m,  Painted  interior  design,  Coyotlatelco  type.  Type  Xlla, 
from  I'it  XVI. 

19.  Painted  exterior  designs,  Coyotlatelco  type.  Type  Xllb.  from  tunnel  under 

Room  V. 

TEXT  FIGURES 

Page. 
1.  a,  Adorno  from  Pit  XVI.     b,  Adorno  from  Pit  XV.     r,  Adorno  from 

Pit  XXV 44 

2.  a,  Face  from  brasero  from  Pit  XV.     b,  Face  from  brasero  from  Pit  XVI. 

c,  Face,  probably  from  brasero,  from  Pit  XXV,  above  wells,     d, 
Head,  probably  forming  part  of  a  flageolet 45 

3.  a,  b,  Pottery  rubbers   (?) 46 

4.  a,  Spindle  whorl  from  just  below  Floor  A.     b,  Ear  plug  found  south  of 

Floor  A 46 

5.  Incised  shard.  Type  He 47 

6.  Incised  shard,  Type  Hi 48 

7.  Textile-marked  shard,  Type  IV 48 

8.  it.  Stamped  design,  Type  VI,  from  Pit  XVI.     b,  Stamped  design,  Type 

VI.     c.  Stamped  design,  Type  VI,  from  Pit  XXV 49 

it.  Potterj  .fool  1 54 


EXCAVATION  OF  A  SITE  AT  SANTIAGO  AHUITZOTLA, 

D.  F.  MEXICO 


By  Alfred  M.  Tozzer 


INTRODUCTION 

Since  the  days  of  the  Spanish  occupation,  the  vicinity  of  Mexico 
City  has  naturally  been  a  rich  field  for  the  antiquities  of  pre-Colum- 
bian times.  Mexico  City,  the  ancient  Tenochtitlan,  has  yielded  a 
large  variety  of  remains,  from  the  well-knoAvn  Calendar  Stone  to 
thousands  of  minor  objects  appearing  wherever  any  extended  excava- 
tions have  been  carried  on.  Outside  of  the  city  proper  an  immense 
number  of  objects  has  come  to  light.  These  consist  of  small  clay 
heads,  figurines,  and  pottery  of  various  varieties,  with  a  relatively 
small  number  of  stone  objects.  One  of  the  richest  fields  for  these 
relics  is  northwest  of  the  city  and  west  of  the  suburb  of  Atzcapo- 
tzalco.  This  is  at  present  a  center  for  the  brick-making  industry, 
and  it  is  owing  principally  to  the  excavations  necessary  in  taking 
out  the  adobe  that  there  has  appeared  a  very  large  number  of  ob- 
jects from  this  locality.  Among  the  first  to  undertake  careful  exca- 
vations here  was  the  International  School  under  the  successive 
directorships  of  Professors  Seler  and  Boas,  Dr.  Engerrand,  and  the 
author.  The  most  important  archeological  problem  for  the  past 
years  has  been  the  investigation  of  the  various  strata  in  this  area 
as  showing  the  succession  of  cultures  which  haAre  been  called,  respec- 
tively, the  Archaic  (tipo  de  montana  and  tipo  de  cerro),  Toltec  1  (pre- 
Aztec  or  Teotihuacan),  and  Aztec.  The  importance  of  this  study 
upon  the  general  archeological  problems  of  Mexico  and  the  greater 
part  of  Middle  America  can  not  be  overestimated.2 

"■  It  has  seemed  best  to  the  author  to  employ  the  much-abused  term  "  Toltec "  to 
designate  the  culture  preceding  that  of  the  Aztec  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  that  culture 
to  which  are  due  the  structures  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan. 

2  See  Boas,  "  Summary  of  the  work  of  (he  International  School  of  American  Archeology 
and   Ethnology   in   Mexico,"   Amer.    Anthrop.,   n.   s.   vol.    17,   pp.   384-395,    1915 ;    Tozzer, 
Report  of  the  Director  of  the  International   School   of  American   Archeology    fen-    1913 
1914,  Amer.  Anthrop.,  n.  s.  vol.  17,  pp.  391-395,  1915. 

It  is  with  some  surprise  that  we  learn  thai  Seler  in  his  last  published  papers  on 
Mexico  ("Die  Teotiuacan-Kultur  des  llochlandes  von  Mexico"  in  his  Gesammelte 
Abhandlungen  zur  Amerikanischen  Sprach-  und  Alterthumskunde.  vol.  5,  Berlin,  1915, 
p.  409)  refuses  to  f.ccept  fully  the  theory  that  people  of  the  Archaic  culture  lived  in 
the  Valley  of  Mexico.  He  thinks  that  the  archaic  remains  were  washed  into  the  valley 
from  the  surrounding  mountains.     The  fact  that  archaic  specimens  have  been  found  with 

13 


14  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN   ETHNOLOGY  [bull.  74 

In  almost  every  case  these  objects  from  the  adobe  beds  of  this 
locality  are  not  found  in  artificial  mounds,  but  on  the  level  plain. 
Several  mounds  do,  however,  occur  in  this  area,  the  largest  of  which 
is  the  Cerro  de  Montezuma  near  the  railroad  station  of  Naucalpan. 
The  first  of  these  mounds  to  be  excavated  was  one  near  San  Miguel 
Amantla.  The  work  was  carried  out  by  Sehor  Manuel  Gamio  under 
the  auspices  of  the  International  School.  It  was  found  to  date  from 
the  Toltec  period  and  yielded  two  interesting  braseros,  made  up  of 
a  bowl  and  cover.8  A  chimney  ran  upward  from  the  top  of  the  cover. 
On  this  as  a  background  was  built  up  a  superstructure  consisting  of 
a  large  head  surrounded  by  a  number  of  separate  clay  ornaments. 
These  adornos  have  appeared  in  large  numbers  throughout  this  area, 
and  here  for  the  first  time  they  have  been  found  in  their  original 
positions.  The  mound  described  in  the  present  paper  was  one  simi- 
lar to  that  at  San  Miguel  Amantla.4 

Name  and  location  or  site. — The  site  consists  of  an  artificial  hill, 
called  by  the  natives  '' Covotlatelco,"  the  "hill  of  the  covote,"  situ- 
ated  in  a  milpa,  a  short  distance  west  of  the  pueblo  of  Santiago 
Ahuitzotla,  in  the  township  of  Atzcapotzalco,  Federal  District,  north- 
west of  Mexico  City.  The  mound  is  just  north  of  the  road  running 
from  Atzcapotzalco  to  Los  Remedios.  The  excavated  portion  is 
about  44  meters  north  and  south  and  22  meters  east  and  west.  A 
road  has  been  cut  across  the  site  on  the  west,  thus  diminishing  the  area 
possible  for  excavation  on  this  side. 

Type  of  site. — The  site  (pi.  3)  belongs  primarily  to  the  Toltec  or 
San  Juan  Teotihuacan  culture.  The  plan  resembles  in  many  details 
that  of  the  rooms  excavated  near  the  great  pyramids  at  Teotihuacan, 

no  evidence  of  being  water-worn  and  with  paint  still  upon  them  seems  to  prove  that  they 
were  left  by  people  living  in  the  places  where  they  were  found  and  at  a  time  preceding 
the  occupation  of  the  valley  by  the  people  we  call  the  Toltecs.  Some  very  large  and 
fragile  archaic  specimens  were  found  by  Mr.  Hay  in  an  hacienda  near  Naucalpan  which 
could  not  possibly  have  heen  carried  by  water  from  the  hills  surrounding  the  valley. 
These  specimens  are  now  in  the  National  Museum  in   Mexico. 

■\\  brasero  very  similar  to  those  excavated  by  Sefior  Gamio  is  shown  in  plate  14. 

* Seler  (op.  fit.,  p.  451)  writes.  "Aus  dem  Profile,  das  Gamio  gegeben  hat.  geht  selbst- 
verstiindlich  mil  Sicherheil  hervor,  dass  an  dieser  Stelle,  in  San  Miguel  Amantla  (und 
den  benachbarten  Orten),  Menschen  dor  Teotiuacan-Kultiar  vor  der  Zeit  gelebt  baben, 
wo  Angehorige  oder  Vorfahren  der  Nation,  die  in  den  Letzten  Jahrhunderten  vor  der  Con- 
quistfl  das  Thai  von  Mexico  hewolmte,  die  llachen  runden  Iliigel  aufschiit  teten.  in  denen 
Gamio  Thonalterthtimer  der  aztekischen  Zeil  des  Valle  de  Mexico  land.  1'nd  ebenso 
scheint  mil  Bestimmtheil  erwiesen  zu  sein,  dass  an  der  Stella  des  heutigen  San  Miguel 
Amantla  etne  hundert  Meter  incite  ETiumara  Bruchstucke  von  Thonfabrikaten  des 
primltiven  Typus  von   den  auf  den   lloiien  gelegenen   Ansiedelungen   herunterschwemmte, 

ehe   die   kiimaiischeii    und    geologischen    Verhaltniss ler    die   durcb    die   Zeitnmstande 

gegebenen  Bedlngungen  den  Menschen  der  Teotiuacan  Kultur  cine  Ansiedelung  an  dieser 
stelle  ge  tatteten."  This  statement  seems  to  Infer  that  Seler  believes  that  the  low 
mounds  in  this  vicinity  were  made  bj  the  Aztecs,  from  the  excavations  here  described 
and  from  the  mound  excavated  bj  Gamio,  it  is  clear  that  manj  of  these  mounds,  if  not 
the  greater  pari  of  them,  were  Toltec  in  origin.  Sefior  Eduardo  Noguera,  working  under 
He  direction  of  Sefior  Gamio  from  September  to  December,  1920,  excavated  a  mound  near 
Mixcoac.  This  Is  clearly  Aztec  in  type.  From  the  photographs,  plan,  and  description 
which  Sefior  Noguera  was  good  enough  to  -end  me  I  find  very  few  points  of  similarity 
'ecu  ihN  mound  and  the  one  described  here. 


tozzer]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  15 

and  the  greater  number  of  objects  fo'und  belong  clearly  to  this  cul- 
ture. The  site  was  occupied  for  a  considerable  period  of  time,  as 
indicated  by  the  frequent  changes  of  plan  and  by  the  superimposed 
floors.  The  Aztecs  dwelt  here  at  a  later  date,  as  shown  by  the  fact 
that  Aztec  pottery  and  figurines  are  found  near  the  surface  over 
the  whole  hill. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  with  exactness  the  demarcation  be- 
tween the  Toltec  and  Aztec  cultures.  It  seems  probable,  however, 
from  a  careful  study  of  the  remains  coming  from  each  room  and 
from  each  of  the  different  levels,  that  the  greater  part  of  the  walls 
and  floors  date  back  to  pre-Aztec  times  and  that  the  frequent  de- 
struction and  rebuilding,  floor  over  floor,  was  undertaken,  for  the 
most  part  at  least,  by  those  of  the  same  period.  This  question  of  the 
relative  time  in  which  each  part  was  erected  will  be  discussed  later 
in  taking  up  the  sequence  of  the  construction  (p.  37). 

Age  of  site. — Only  a  very  rough  approximation  can  be  made  of 
the  time  of  the  erection  of  this  Toltec  mound,  and  we  have  to  go 
rather  far  afield  for  some  of  the  data  on  this  point.  According  to 
one  tradition,  Tula  was  founded  by  the  Toltecs  in  752  A.  D.  and  was 
destroyed  in  1064.  These  dates  have  usually  been  considered  too 
late  to  be  regarded  as  historic.  We  know  that  the  Toltecs  were  used 
as  mercenaries  by  the  people  of  Mayapan  in  Yucatan  against  the  in- 
habitants of  Chichen  Itza.  The  influence  of  the  Toltec  culture  is 
very  strikingly  ishown  in  the  latest  period  of  Chichen  Itza,  which  was 
from  about  1200  to  1450  A.  D.  We  can,  therefore,  with  some  ap- 
proximation of  truth,  say  that  the  Toltecs  flourished  toward  the  end 
of  the  first  millennium  after  Christ,  and  that  their  influence  in  Yuca- 
tan, at  least,  extended  into  the  fifteenth  century.5 

Orientation. — The  Avails  of  the  buildings,  with  one  exception, 
seem  to  have  been  carefully  oriented.  The  general  direction  is  a  few 
degrees  east  of  north.  The  wall  built  over  Floor  M  in  the  north- 
west corner  is  not  in  line  with  any  of  the  other  walls  of  the  buildings. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Inspector  of  Monuments  of  Mexico  will  have 
a  careful  survey  made  of  the  site  in  order  to  establish  the  exact  align- 
ment of  the  walls  in  reference  to  the  true  north. 

Plan  in  general. — The  ground  plan  (pis.  1,  2)  of  the  excavation 
may  be  divided  roughly  into  seven  sections: 

1.  Main  structure  inclosed  by  a  low  terrace  or  step,  making  it,  to  a 
great  extent,  a  unit. 

2.  Highest  Floor  A  built  over  the  center  of  the  Main  Structure. 

3.  The  Southern  Extension,  including  Rooms  VIII-XI. 

4.  The  Northern  Extension. 

6  For  additional  data  on  these  points,  sec  Tozzer,  "The  domain  of  the  Aztecs  and 
their  relation  to  the  prehistoric  cultures  of  Mexico "  in  Holmes  Anniversary  Volume, 
pp.  464-468,  1916. 


16  BUREAU    OF    AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  Thill.  74 

5.  The  southern  higher  level  Floor  B. 

6.  The  northern  higher  level  Floor  B'. 

7.  The  floors  beneath  the  Main  Structure. 

Looking  at  the  plan  in  cross-section  another  classification  is  neces- 
sary : 

1.  Highest  Floors  A.  A'. 

2.  Northern  and  southern  higher  level  Floors  B,  B'.  Floor  C,  the 
higher  of  the  two  floors  in  Room  II  and  the  top  of  the  stone  stratum 
to  the  east  of  the  Eastern  Terrace  (pi.  2,  sec.  k-1). 

3.  Main  Structure  with  Rooms  I- VI  and  the  Terraces. 

4.  Northern  and  Southern  Extensions. 

5.  Floors  under  Rooms  I.  II.  V,  and  VI. 

Description  of  plans  and  sections. — It  is  impossible  to  obtain  an 
adequate  idea  of  the  various  constructions  and  of  the  explanations 
in  the  text  without  consulting  freely  the  plans  and  sections. 

Plan  I  (pi.  1)  shows  the  walls  and  floors  now  standing.  Walls 
and  pillars  shown  in  solid  black  are  still  in  place  or-  are  clearly  indi- 
cated by  a  break  in  the  floor,  with  the  characteristic  upward  slope 
of  the  floor  toward  the  walls.  Dotted  lines  indicate  the  probable 
extent  of  other  walls.  Rooms  are  indicated  by  Roman  numerals 
and  the  floors  by  capital  letters.  Various  features  to  which  atten- 
tion is  called  are  numbered.    Floors  still  in  place  are  shown  in  color. 

Section  a-b  runs  north  and  south.6  The  depressed  Floor  II  in 
Rooms  IX  and  X,  although  not  appearing  in  the  section,  is  indi- 
cated by  small  dots. 

Section  c-d  also  runs  north  and  south.  Here  is  indicated  by  small 
dots  the  stone  Avail  at  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  Patio  and  the 
floor  level  of  Room  1. 

Section  e-f  runs  east  and  west.  The  contour  of  the  hill  is  shown 
in  all  three  sections. 

Plan  11  (pi.  2)  is  an  attempt  to  indicate  the  floors  beneath  the 
level  of  those  of  Plan  I.  The  various  excavations  made  in  order  to 
get  beneath  the  surface  of  the  main  floors  and  as  entrances  to  the 
tunnels  are  indicated  by  Roman  numerals  (XIV-XXIX).  Floors, 
as  in  the  previous  plan,  arc  given  in  capital  letters.  The  various 
tunnels  are  indicated  by  small  letters.  The  walls  of  the  tunnels 
directly  below  Room  I  are  shown  by  wavy  lines.  The  two  lowest  tun- 
nels are  indicated  by  a  zigzag  line.  The  stratification  of  the  various 
cuts  is  shown  in  all  cases  where  it  could  be  determined. 

Section   g-h  runs  north  and  south,  cutting  the  floor  level   C   in 
Room  II. 

,:  I  am  Indebted  to  the  Engineer  of  the  Office  of  the  Inspection  of  Monuments  I'm-  the 
various  heights  of  the  Hours.  The  plans  here  offered  were  made  by  careful  measurements 
but  were  not  surveyed  with  a   transit. 


1'Ozzbe]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  17 

Section  i-j  also  runs  north  and  south.  An  attempt  is  made  here 
to  indicate  the  character  of  the  stratification  as  shown  by  the  various 
excavations.  Although  not  included  in  the  section,  the  floor  of 
Eoom  I  together  with  the  entrance  to  Tunnel  /,  Floor  P,  and  Tunnel 
j  are  shown. 

Section  k-l  runs  east  and  west.  Attention  should  be  called  here  to 
the  earth  and  stones  left  to  the  east  of  the  Eastern  Terrace.  This  is 
not  shown  in  any  of  the  other  plans. 

In  the  description  of  the  site  few  measurements  will  be  given,  as 
these  are  clearly  indicated  on  the  plans  and  sections. 

Order  and  method  of  excavation. — A  small  excavation  had  been 
made  in  the  center  of  the  hill  by  some  one  hunting  for  idolos.  This 
had,  unfortunately,  destroyed  a  large  portion  of  the  southern  part  of 
the  topmost  floor  (A)  and  made  it  impossible  to  obtain  complete  data 
on  the  site.  Several  pieces  of  the  plaster  of  the  floor  were  found. 
A  second  and  more  excusable  damage  was  done  to  the  hill  by  the  cut- 
ting of  a  road  along  the  northern  side.  This  decreased  the  whole 
area  possible  for  excavation  by  about  a  fourth  and  made  it  impossible 
to  establish  the  complete  plan  of  the  northern  side.  With  these  two 
exceptions  the  hill  was  intact. 

Higher  floors. — The  excavation  started  about  the  center  of  the  hill 
to  the  north  of  the  hole  made  by  the  relic  hunter.  Floor  A  was  imme- 
diately discovered  (pi.  8,  a)  under  a  thin  layer  of  adobe.  The  floor 
was  only  about  0.6  m.  from  the  surface.  Floor  A  was  followed  in  all 
directions.  On  the  northern  and  western  edges  of  this  floor  excava- 
tions were  made  and  Room  I  (pi.  4,  b)  with  its  fine  plaster  floor  was 
uncovered.  The  greater  part  of  Room  I  was  found  filled  in  solid  to 
within  0.4  m.  of  the  level  of  the  hill  with  adobe  bricks.  This  adobe 
filling  extended  to  the  east  into  the  space  I  have  called  the  Patio, 
over  Floor  P  to  the  point  where  the  stone  wall  makes  a  corner  and 
turns  to  the  south  (near  4,  pi.  1).  Room  I  was  excavated  its  entire 
length,  showing  the  pillars  at  either  end.  Through  the  doorway  on 
the  west,  Room  II  (pi.  8,  c)  was  entered.  To  the  west  of  this  entrance 
and  at  several  places  in  Room  II  the  filling  was  made  of  alternate 
layers  of  earth  and  stones.  Working  from  Floor  A,  Rooms  V 
and  VI  (pi.  5,  h)  were  soon  shown.  Excavation  was  also  carried  on 
to  the  south  of  Floor  A  in  the  old  depression  made  at  some  previous 
time  and  continued  until  Floor  P  was  encountered.  Work  was  con- 
tinued to  the  south  until  the  northern  wall  of  Rooms  III  and  IV 
was  found.  This  cleared  the  space  of  the  Patio  down  to  the  level  of 
Floor  P.  Rooms  III  and  TV  were  next  uncovered.  By  continuing 
east  of  Room  IV  a  portion  of  the  Eastern  Terrace  was  shown.  The 
terrace  was  followed  from  this  point  in  both  directions  and  the  south- 
eastern corner  was  soon  found  (pi.  5,  a).  The  corresponding  north- 
17564°—  21 2 


18  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  I  m  ll.  74 

eastern  corner  and  the  northern  side  were  next  uncovered  (pi.  T,  b). 
The  western  side  was  then  excavated,  thus  completing  the  square. 

As  this  was  going  on  Floor  B  (pi.  5,  a)  was  found  and  cleared. 
Owing  to  the  symmetry  of  the  rooms  in  the  Main  Structure  inclosed 
by  the  Terrace,  it  was  considered  probable  that  a  floor  corresponding 
to  B  would  be  found  on  the  north,  and  Floor  B'  (pi.  6,  b)  was  noted 
exactly  similar  in  height  and  position  to  B. 

The  floors  of  the  Terrace  on  the  northwestern  and  southwestern 
corners  were  followed  and  the  northern  and  southern  additions  (XII 
and  X)  to  the  Terrace  were  uncovered.  Room  X  on  the  south  led 
the  way  to  Floor  H  and  Room  IX  (pi.  6,  a).  Room  XI  was  entered 
through  the  doorway  from  Room  IX.  Excavations  were  made  to 
the  south  of  IX  and  Rooms  VII  and  VIII  were  found.  A  wide 
trench  was  then  made  to  the  south  of  VII,  VIII,  and  XI.  No 
floors  were  found,  thus  showing  that  the  southern  limit  of  the  site  had 
been  reached.  A  trench  was  also  made  to  the  east  of  XI,  where 
pieces  of  rough  flooring  (L,  I/,  L")  were  found  with  no  remains  of 
a  wall.  Excavations  along  the  southern  side  and  eastern  end  of 
Floor  B  showed  no  remains,  thus  marking  the  southeastern  limits 
of  the  site. 

Four  trenches  were  next  run  out  at  right  angles  to  the  Eastern 
Terrace  in  order  to  ascertain  the  limits  on  this  side  (pi.  2,  sec.  k-l). 
Several  pits  were  dug  near  the  eastern  and  northern  sides  of  Floor 
B',  but  no  remains  were  found  until  Floor  ()  was  reached. 

The  entire  western  side  of  the  site  was  limited  by  the  road.  The 
various  floors  were  followed  in  each  case  until  they  were  lost  under 
the  road  or  broken  by  the  cutting  of  the  road.  Excavations  were 
undertaken  in  the  milpa  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  Shards 
and  other  objects,  together  with  large  pieces  of  floor,  were  found, 
showing  that  the  site  continued  for  some  distance  to  the  west.  No 
floor  was  found  in  place,  so  that  coordination  with  the  floors  in  the 
main  excavation  was  impossible.  In  this  excavation  to  the  west  of 
the  road  the  stratum  of  ashes  which  runs  under  the  Main  Structure 
was  encountered  approximately  1.45  m.  below  the  floor  level  of  Room 
IX.  Adobes  and  pieces  of  tepetate  were  also  found.  This  excava- 
tion was  6.5  m.  from  the  western  edge  of  Room  IX. 

In  many  places,  as  noted  on  the  plans,  the  walls  are  still  standing. 
The  plaster  covering  of  the  walls  is  still  in  place  in  many  cases.  It 
was  usually  very  easy  to  trace  the  walls  which  had  fallen,  together 
with  the  pillars,  as  in  every  case  the  floor  rose  slightly  as  it  ap- 
proached the  wall  (pi.  8,  b).  These  upward  slopes  of  the  floor  end 
at  the  wall  and  in  very  few  cases  does  the  floor  continue  under  the 
wall.  There  is  no  distinction  in  the  plan  between  the  walls  still 
standing  and  those  walls  which  are  clearly  indicated  by  this  upward 
slope  of  the  floor.     Both  are  shown  in  full  black. 


tozzek]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  19 

Tunnels. — As  excavations  progressed  and  the  site  bid  fair  to  be 
of  some  importance  the  Inspector  of  Ruins,  Sefior  Manuel  Gamio, 
decided  to  have  it  preserved  as  a  National  Monument.  Fortunately 
no  floors  had  been  taken  up  and  the  site  could  be  studied  as  it  had 
been  uncovered,  with  nothing  destroyed,  with  the  exception,  previ- 
ously noted,  of  the  pit  dug  in  the  center  of  the  hill  and  the  cutting 
for  the  road.  A  complete  examination  of  the  lower-level  floors 
could  be  made  only  by  removing  those  above  them.  As  it  was  not 
thought  expedient  to  remove  any  of  the  floors,  tunneling  was  exten- 
sively employed  (pi.  2).  The  lower  floors,  as  shown  in  the  tunnels, 
proved  to  be  on  an  amazing  complex  of  levels,  and  it  was  possible 
only  in  a  few  cases  to  trace  the  plan  of  complete  rooms. 

It  may  be  well  to  enumerate  the  tunnels  and  the  purpose  for  which 
they  were  excavated.  No  attempt  will  be  made  to  keep  to  the  order 
in  which  they  were  opened. 

Tunnels  a  and  5,  under  Floor  B,  were  made  in  order  to  trace  the 
northern  wall  of  Room  XI,  the  floor  in  front  of  the  Southern  Ter- 
race, and  the  construction  under  Floor  B. 

Tunnels  c-j  (pi.  4,  a.),  under  Rooms  I  and  II,  were  started  by  fol- 
lowing Floor  P  in  the  open  cut  and  continuing  under  the  rooms  to 
the  west  in  all  directions. 

Tunnel  k  runs  under  Room  V  and  is  a  continuation  of  the  series  of 
tunnels  under  Floor  A.  It  was  dug  in  order  to  trace  the  extent  of 
Floor  P. 

Tunnel  I  runs  from  Pit  XXIII  to  Pit  XXV  and  connects  with 
Tunnel  m. 

Tunnel  m  runs  under  Room  VI  and  connects  Pit  XXV  with  Pit 
XXVII. 

Tunnels  n-y  run  under  the  northern  wall  of  Room  VI  and  north- 
ward under  Floor  B'  in  order  to  trace  a  stone  wall  and  floor  found 
at  the  lower  level,  together  with  the  construction  under  Floor  B'. 

Tunnel  y  (pi.  4,  a)  was  run  from  Pit  XVII  to  Pit  XXI  under  the 
system  of  tunnels  beneath  Rooms  I  and  II  in  order  to  exhaust  the 
possibility  of  floors  under  Floor  P. 

Tunnel  z  connects  with  y  running  under  the  northern  elongation 
of  Floor  P  and  coming  out  in  Pit  XXIV. 

Pits. — In  order  to  find  out  the  stratification,  together  with  the 
various  floor  levels,  and  also  to  serve  as  entrances  to  the  tunnels, 
numerous  square  holes  were  i\\\^  throughout  the  site.  These  exca- 
vations were  never  made  where  the  floor  was  still  in  place.  In  most 
cases  these  were  filled  up  after  the  necessary  data  had  been  obtained. 

Pit  XIV,  outside  the  eastern  wall  of  Room  XI.  was  :\\\<x  under 
Floor  L  which  was  taken  up  in  one  piece  and  afterwards  replaced. 
This  excavation  showed  no  remains  of  any  kind. 


20  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  I  urn,.  74 

Pit  XV,  tit  the  southern  end  of  Room  XI.  was  justified  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  floor  at  this  point  was  badly  broken  and  had  sunk. 
This  excavation  is  described  in  another  place  (p.  25). 

Pit  XVI,  at  the  southern  side  of  Room  IX  and  extending  into 
Boom  VII,  was  made  through  the  floor  broken  on  account  of  the 
subsidence  here.    This  also  is  described  elsewhere  (p.  25). 

Pit  XVII  was  dug  through  the  broken  floor  of  the  Western  Ter- 
race. Tunnel  e  with  Floor  P4  runs  into  this  excavation  together  with 
the  lowest  Tunnel  //. 

Pit  XVIII,  also  through  the  Western  Terrace  level,  formed  the 
western  end  of  Tunnel  i. 

Pit  XIX  was  made  in  Room  III  which  showed  no  remains  of  a 
floor.    It  was  the  eastern  end  of  Tunnel  d. 

Pit  XX.  in  the  eastern  end  of  Room  IV,  connected  with  no  tunnels 
but  Mas  dug  to  note  the  possible  presence  of  the  ash  stratum  and  the 
formation  below  the  excavated  level  of  the  Patio.  This  excavation 
also  showed  that  there  were  no  floors  under  Room  IV. 

Pit  XXI  was  an  important  excavation  in  the  center  of  the  Patio 
below  the  edge  of  Floor  P  made  in  order  to  dig  Tunnels  y  and  z  be- 
low the  series  of  floors  under  Rooms  I  and  II. 

Pit  XXII,  made  through  the  broken  floor  of  Room  I  below  the 
western  edge  of  Floor  A,  forms  a  side  entrance  into  Tunnel  g. 

Pit  XXIII  begins  at  the  level  of  Floor  A,  showing  the  various 
strata  forming  the  foundation  for  this  floor,  and  connects  with  one 
of  the  tunnels  under  Floor  A.  Tunnel  /'  also  enters  this  excavation 
at  the  western  end.  Floor  P'  forms  the  western  side  of  the  bottom 
of  this  hole. 

Pit  XXIV  is  an  excavation  under  the  eastern  part  of  Pit  XXII I. 
It  runs  through  a  stratum  of  ashes  (p.  25)  and  connects  with  Pit 
XXV  (pi.  2,  sec.  h-l).  Below  these  two  last  holes  four  wells  were 
found  (p.  24).  Lowest  level  Tunnel  z  runs  into  Pit  XXIV  on  the 
western  side. 

Pit  XXV,  made  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  the  Patio,  connects, 
as  has  been  noted,  by  Tunnel  /  with  Pit  XXIV.  Directly  at  the 
bottom  of  this  excavation  Well  Z  is  located.  Tunnel  m  runs  into 
Tunnel  /  near  the  cornei-  of  this  excavation. 

Pit  XXVI  was  made  between  the  southern  edge  of  Floor  P>'  and 
the  Northern  Terrace.  It  is  interesting  as  showing  the  construction 
under  B'  and  seined  as  the  entrance  to  Tunnel  //.  the  tunnel  being 
prolonged  to  the  north  of  this  excavation. 

Pit  XXVI]  was  excavated  at  the  very  northeastern  corner  of  Room 

VI  where  the  wall  and  floor  had  disappeared.    It  served  as  the  north- 
ern entrance  to  Tunnel  ///  and  the  southern  end  of  Tunnel  />. 


io/.zer]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  21 

Pit  XXIX  was  dug  at  the  northwestern  corner  of  Room  XIII  in 
order  to  find  out  if  there  were  any  floors  beneath  this  room.  A  burial 
(p.  41)  was  found  in  this  excavation. 

GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

Construction. — The  materials  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
buildings  are  stone,  adobe,  tepetate,  and  earth. 

Walls. — The  walls  are,  in  the  main,  made  of  adobe  and  earth. 
Stone  is  used  very  sparingly.  I  can  not  explain  the  sporadic  use 
of  stone  in  some  of  the  Avails.  A  wall  will  be  built  for  the  greater 
part  of  its  length  of  adobe  bricks,  with  a  small  portion  of  the  same 
wall  built  of  stone.  This  sudden  change  from  adobe  to  stone  is  also 
noted  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan.  With  one  exception  (p.  31),  the 
walls  do  not  have  the  sloping  buttress-like  projection  at  the  base 
which  is  a  very  common  feature  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan  and 
Tula,  as  well  as  in  the  buildings  erected  under  the  influence  of  the 
Toltecs  at  Chichen  Itza. 

Stone  walls. — With  the  exception  only  of  the  buttress-like  walls  to 
the  west  of  Floor  A,  the  stone  construction  is  very  crude.  The  stones 
are  usually  not  worked  in  any  way  and  are  not  laid  in  plaster  or 
cement.  In  one  case  the  wall  set  at  an  angle  on  Floor  M  in  the  north- 
western corner  is  composed  of  earth  with  two  lines  of  worked  stones 
running  horizontally  through  it.  A  line  of  nicely  worked  stones  is 
used  as  the  facing  of  the  terrace,  and  a  line  of  square  stones  set  at  an 
angle  is  found  at  the  base  of  the  outer  walls  of  the  Main  Structure 
(pi.  1,7,7'). 

The  most  important  stone  walls  are  those  running  out  into  Room  I. 
The  buttress-like  effect  of  this  wall  in  relation  to  the  floor  of  the  room 
is  seen  in  plate  1,  section  e-f.  These  walls  by  means  of  an  elbow-like 
turn  form  the  northern  and  southern  sides  of  the  Patio.  A  stone 
wall  was  also  at  one  time  present  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Patio. 
A  small  portion  of  the  outer  wall  of  the  Main  Structure,  that  form- 
ing the  southern  side  of  Room  III  and  a  part  of  the  northern  wall 
of  Rooms  V  and  VI,  is  still  in  place.  This  is  of  stone,  and  it  may 
well  be  that  at  one  time  this  entire  outer  wall  was  built  of  stone.  The 
only  wall  remaining  in  any  way  connected  with  Floors  B  and  B'  is 
that  on  the  southern  side  of  B',  and  it  is  built  of  stone. 

Adobe. — Adobe  bricks  are  the  most  common  material  for  building 
walls.  They  are  used  in  almost  all  cases  for  the  interior  walls  of  the 
Main  Structure.  They  are  usually  faced  with  a  thin  layer  of  plaster. 
The  western  wall  of  Room  I  and  the  walls  of  Room  V  (pi.  5,  b) 
show  the  plaster  still  remaining  on  the  walls.  The  highest  walls  of 
adobe  now  in  place  are  only  0.83  m.  in  height.  Above  this  the  adobes 
are  covered  with  earth.     The  erection  of  Floor  A,  covering,  in  all 


22  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  [bill.  7 1 

probability,  the  greater  part  of  the  central  portion  of  the  site,  necessi- 
tated tearing  down  the  top  of  all  the  walls  of  Rooms  I-VI.  The 
walls  widen  out  in  some  places  at  the  sides  of  a  doorway.  (See  the 
door  from  Eoom  I  to  Room  II,  pi.  4,  o.)  This  is  a  common  feature 
at  Teotihuacan.  The  sloping  walls  in  the  rooms,  a  feature  very  com- 
mon at  Teotihuacan,  is  found  here  only  at  one  place,  Room  IX  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  northern  wall.  An  overhang  in  the  wall, 
found  also  at  Teotihuacan,  is  seen  here  in  the  northeastern  corner 
of  Room  IX  (pi.  8,  d).  Adobe  is  almost  exclusively  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  pillars  to  support  the  roof.  These  adobe  supports 
are  very  common  at  Teotihuacan.  The  size  of  the  adobe  bricks  seems 
to  vary  from  0.3  to  0.7  m.  long  and  about  0.1  m.  thick.  In  a  few 
cases  adobes  were  found  0.88  m.  long. 

Earthen  walls. — The  greater  number  of  walls  in  the  Southern 
Extension  (Rooms  VII-XI)  and  Northern  Extension  (Room  XIII) 
seems  to  have  been  built  simply  of  earth  with  a  layer  of  plaster  as  a 
facing. 

Tepetate  (from  tetl,  "stone,"  and  petlatl,  "mat"),  a  geological 
formation  formed  by  the  leaching  out  of  the  surface  and  a  redeposit 
farther  down,  is  used  very  often  in  the  construction  of  the  walls,  and 
in  a  few  cases  as  the  foundation  for  floors.  It  is  found  in  thick  beds 
only  a  short  distance  from  the  site.  It  is  still  used  for  walls  by  the 
present  inhabitants.  When  first  uncovered  it  is  comparatively  soft 
and  is  cut  into  blocks  by  saws.  On  exposure  to  the  air  it  hardens 
quickly  and  is  very  durable. 

No  walls  were  found  in  place  over  1.2  m.  in  height.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  the  upper  portions  of  the  walls  were  destroyed  in  the 
rebuilding.  Several  explorers  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan  mention 
the  fact  that  the  walls  remaining  consist  only  of  the  lower  portions. 

Floors. — These  present  much  variety  in  their  construction.  The 
best  floors  are  often  of  hard  cement  0.1  to  0.2  m.  in  thickness.  Floor 
A  is  an  example  of  this  kind.  In  other  cases  the  floor  is  made  of  a 
very  thin  layer  of  plaster  over  adobe  bricks.  These  floors  are  most 
perishable  and  seem  to  have  been  renewed  from  time  to  time.  The 
floors  of  Rooms  I  and  II  are  of  this  type.  One  of  the  lowest  floors 
(P)  is  very  uneven  and  made  of  a  mixture  of  plaster  and  tepetate. 
This  makes  a  very  hard  and  very  durable  substance. 

The  floors  are  built  at  many  different  levels.  In  many  cases  a  floor 
suddenly  ends  with  no  signs  of  a  wall  bordering  it  ami  another 
begins  at  a  lower  level.  Floors  run  under  floors  at  several  different 
levels.  The  distance  between  floors  is  often  less  than  0.1  m.  There 
are  often  sudden  breaks  in  the  floor  which  are  difficult  to  explain. 
There  is  an  even  break  around  the  floor  of  Room  I  (pi.  4,  l>)  which 
illustrates  this  point. 


tozzbr]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  23 

In  a  few  cases  the  edge  of  a  floor  is  lined  with  a  row  of  worked 
stones  set  almost  flush  with  the  floor.  Along  a  part  of  the  eastern 
side  of  Room  I  a  row  of  stones  (pi.  1,  3)  seems  to  indicate  possibly 
a  doorway  into  the  Patio.  The  southern  edge  of  Floor  Q  in  Tunnel  / 
(pi.  2)  and  the  floor  in  Tunnel  p  show  a  line  of  worked  stones  set 
flush  with  the  floor.  The  edge  of  the  depressed  Floor  H  in  Room 
IX  is  lined  with  worked  stones.  Squared  stones  are  also  found  on 
the  edge  of  Floor  F  (j)l.  1,  14). 

Drains. — With  the  exception  of  the  perforated  stone  found  over 
the  cluster  of  four  wells  (p.  24),  there  are  no  signs  of  drains,  a 
feature  very  common  at  Teotihuacan. 

Roofs. — As  might  be  expected,  there  are  no  remains  of  the  roof 
construction.  This  was  undoubtedly  of  some  perishable  material. 
The  columns  at  either  end  of  Room  I  and  those  around  the  eastern 
and  southern  sides  of  Room  IX  were  probably  supports  for  the  roof.7 
The  projections  of  the  wall  on  the  eastern  and  western  sides  of 
Room  I  probably  served  as  the  support  for  roof -beams.  In  Room  XI 
the  remains  of  a  mass  of  cement  (pi.  1,  12)  near  the  northern  end 
may  show  the  foundation  for  wooden  beams  to  support  the  roof  of 
this  wide  room.  A  similar  feature  was  probably  present  at  the 
southern  end  of  the  same  room  (pi.  1,  11),  although  it  had  fallen  in, 
owing  to  the  subsidence  of  the  floor.  In  the  center  of  Room  X  a 
large  stone  (pi.  1,  17)  may  have  been  the  foundation  for  a  wooden 
support. 

There  are  several  wide  rooms  which  show  no  remains  of  the 
methods  used  to  support  the  roof.  At  Teotihuacan  also  there  are 
many  rooms  too  wide  to  have  been  bridged  by  a  single  beam,  and  yet 
no  pillar  or  wall  appears  at  the  present  time. 

Stairways. — There  are  no  remains  of  stairways.  Steps  were  prob- 
ably necessary  leading  from  the  Eastern  Terrace  to  the  Patio  on  the 
level  with  Room  I,  provided  our  reconstruction  is  correct. 

Fireplaces. — The  only  suggestion  of  a  fireplace  in  the  floor  is  in 
Room  VI  (pi.  1,  18;  pi.  7,  b).  It  is  a  depression  lined  with  squared 
stones,  and  it  was  found  filled  with  ashes.  No  remains  of  fire  were 
found  on  the  stones.  Outside  the  eastern  wall  of  Room  XI  several 
worked  stones  were  found  together.  They  seemed  to  have  formed  a 
part  of  a  fireplace  at  this  point.  In  the  northern  end  of  Room  I, 
0.5  m.  above  the  floor,  a  mass  of  burned  adobe  was  found,  0.4  m.  thick 

7  Compare  the  plan  of  rooms  excavated  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan  by  Charnay  ("  Ancient 
Cities  of  the  New  World,"  New  York,  18S7,  p.  145).  He  writes,  "The  center  of  the 
room  is  occupied  by  six  pillars,  on  which  rose  stone,  brick,  or  wood  columns  bearing  the 
roof."  It  is  evident  from  this  description  that  the  columns  were  not  standing  at  the 
time  of  his  explorations.  Seler  (op.  cit.,  pp.  408-409)  assumes  that  the  piers  were  of 
wood  when  he  writes,  "  In  Tcotiuacan  kennen  wir  nur  die  unteren  Thelle  der  Wiinde, 
diese  sind  aber  auch  hier  durchweg  unten  abgebtischt,  and  nuch  die  Unt.ers8.tze  der 
Pfeiler, — die  selbst  vermuthlich  aus  versiinglichem  Materiale,  aus  IIolz,  bestanden  ha- 
ben, — fallen  regelmiissig  nach  den  vier  Seiten  ab." 


24  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  [boll.  74 

and  0.8  m.  square.  Several  shards  of  very  crude  pottery  were  lying 
near.  In  digging  Pit  XV,  0.9  m.  below  the  floor  of  Room  XI,  a  strip 
of  burned  adobe  '2  m.  long  and  about  0.5  m.  wide  was  noted.  Other 
burned  adobe  was  found  in  several  places  in  the  wall  of  earth  left 
between  the  road  and  the  Western  Terrace.  Carbon  and  ash  were 
found  in  close  proximity.  In  almost  every  case  these  burned  places 
were  found  not  on  the  floor  but  either  under  the  floor  or  above  in  the 
material  filling  the  room.  The  first  explanation  is  that  they  were 
places  where  potter}'  had  been  fired. 

Decorattox. — There  is  no  evidence  of  any  attempt  at  decoration  on 
the  walls  of  the  buildings.  Remains  of  paint,  so  common  at  Teoti- 
huacan,  are  entirely  lacking  here.  Practically  no  carved  stones  were 
found. 

Wells. — Under  Floor  A  and  beginning  about  3.7  m.  below  this 
floor  four  wells  were  found  (pi.  2,  sees,  i-j,  k-l).8  The  bottom  of 
the  lowest  (X)  is  9.25  m.  below  Floor  A.  Z  is  almost  the  same 
depth.  W  and  Y  are  far  less  deep  and  may  not  have  been  completed. 
The  grouping  of  these  four  wells  closely  together  seems  to  show  that 
their  purpose  was  the  collection  of  rain  water.  The  water  table  was 
not  reached  even  in  Well  X.  It  was  estimated  that  the  average  water 
level  is  about  1.5  m.  lower  than  the  bottom  of  the  deepest  well.  The 
wells  were  filled  with  earth  and  ashes  mixed  with  a  large  number  of 
shards.  A  thick  bed  of  ash  was  found  above  the  mouths  of  the  wells 
similar  to  that  found  in  Pits  XV  and  XVI.  Here  also  was  a  prolific 
source  of  pottery. 

A  flat  stone  (0.4  by  0.4  by  0.15  m.)  was  found  3.6  m.  below  Floor 
P'  and  almost  over  the  mouth  of  Well  X  (pi.  2,  23,  and  sec.  i-j,  k-l). 
This  stone  had  a  hole  in  the  middle  15  mm.  in  diameter.  The  natural 
explanation  of  this  perforated  stone  is  that  it  served  as  a  drain  for 
the  rain  water  running  into  the  wells.  The  difficulty  is  that  the  hole 
seems  too  small  to  have  served  as  an  outlet  for  water.  The  hole  may 
have  been  used  for  the  entrance  of  a  rope  used  in  drawing  water  in 
a  bucket  from  the  well.  No  similar  stones  were  found  above  any  of 
the  other  wells.  It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  time  in  the  history 
of  the  site  when  these  wells  were  used.  There  is  no  doubt  that  they 
belong  to  the  pre-Aztec  epoch  on  account  of  the  figurines  and  shards 
which  they  contained.  I  have  placed  them  in  the  first  period  of  the 
Toltec  epoch  (p.  38)  and  suggested  that  they  were  filled  and  the  bed 
of  ash  formed  above  them  when  the  Main  Structure  was  built. 

Asu  deposits. — In  three  distinct  places  in  the  site  thick  beds  of 
ashes  were  found  in  which  a  large  quantity  of  shards,  and  in  some 
cnses  whole  pots,  were  discovered. 

"Hatn's,  as  noted  in  Seler  (op,  cit.,  p.  U0),  t'oinid  a  well  a1  San  .luan  Teotihuacan 
measuring  0.9  m.  in  diameter  and  10  in.  iii  depth,  it  was  covered  with  a  semispherica] 
arch  of  mason  rj  and  contained  ezcellenl  drinking  water. 


tozzbr]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  25 

Pit  XVI. — The  floor  in  the  western  part  of  Room  IX  was  badly 
cracked  and  depressed.  This  subsidence  extended  into  Room  VII. 
This  floor  was  removed  and  an  excavation  (pi.  2,  Pit  XYI;  also  sec. 
g-h)  made  at  this  point.  We  soon  found  a  thick  bed  of  ashes.  This 
place  had  evidently  been  used  as  a  dumping  ground  for  refuse  from 
the  fires  of  the  inhabitants  previous  to  the  erection  of  the  Southern 
Extension.  The  weight  of  the  building  was  evidently  too  great  for 
the  sustaining  power  of  the  ashes,  and  a  subsidence  was  the  result. 
Six  tunnels  were  run  out  from  the  main  hole  in  order  to  ascertain 
the  extension  of  the  ash  deposit  and  the  possible  presence  of  lower 
floors. 

Pit  XV. — A  depression  in  the  floor  of  Room  XI  similar  to  that  in 
Room  IX  was  noted.  A  pillar  of  adobes  (similar  to  12  in  the  same 
room)  had  fallen,  owing  to  the  subsidence  of  the  floor.  An  excava- 
tion (pi.  2,  Pit  XV;  also  sec.  i-j)  was  made  here  and  a  bed  of  ashes 
found,  as  in  the  previous  case.  Two  tunnels  were  run  out.  that  to 
the  north  extending  under  a  great  part  of  Room  XI.  No  floors  or 
walls  were  found  in  any  of  these  tunnels  running  from  the  two 
excavations. 

Pits  XXIV,  XXV. — A  third  bed  of  ashes  was  found  over  the 
mouths  of  the  four  wells,  as  already  pointed  out  (pi.  2,  sees,  i-j,  k-l). 
Ashes  also  filled  the  wells,  so  that  the  deposition  of  the  ash  layer 
and  the  filling  in  of  the  wells  undoubtedly  occurred  at  the  same  time. 
As  previously  mentioned,  the  ashes  in  these  three  deposits  and  in 
the  wells  were  a  most  prolific  source  of  shards  and  several  unbroken 
ollas.  There  were  probably  three  times  as  many  shards  found  in 
these  beds  of  ashes  as  in  all  the  rest  of  the  site  put  together.  They 
all  invariably  belong  to  the  Toltec  culture. 

Ash  stratum. — In  addition  to  the  thick  beds  of  ashes  just  described, 
mention  should  be  made  here  of  the  stratum  of  ashes  found  under 
the  Main  Structure,  and  shown  in  plate  2,  sections  i-j,  k-l.  This 
layer  of  ash  averages  0.5  m.  in  thickness  and  is  about  0.5  m.  below 
the  floor  of  the  rooms  in  the  Main  Structure.  On  the  southern  side 
the  stratum  seems  to  end  just  inside  the  Terrace.  On  the  west  the 
ash  layer  is  found  extending  to  the  other  side  of  the  modern  road. 
On  the  north  the  same  stratum  runs  under  Floor  B',  and  on  the  east 
it  ends  inside  the  Terrace.  Under  Floor  A  a  second  stratum  of  ash 
runs  above  the  first  and  above  the  level  of  the  rooms  in  the  Main 
Structure. 

Sequence. — It  is  plain  that  the  history  of  the  site  covered  a  con- 
siderable period  of  time  extending  from  the  Teotihuacan  into  the 
Aztec  culture.  There  are  many  changes,  additions,  and  alterations 
in  the  plans  and  it  has  already  been  pointed  out  how  floor  covers 
floor  and  wall  covers  Avail.     The  possible  sequence  in  the  erection  of 


26  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  Tbdll.  74 

the  various  parts  Avill  be  considered  after  a  detailed  description  of 
the  site  as  it  now  appears  has  been  made  (p.  37). 

Rebuilding. — It  is  well  to  consider  the  methods  used  in  filling  in 
the  rooms  to  prepare  them  for  others  on  higher  levels.  In  most 
cases  loose  earth  is  employed.  Sometimes,  however,  more  pains  seem 
to  have  been  taken  in  filling  in  the  rooms.  Practically  all  of  Room  1 
was  filled  by  adobe  bricks  up  to  within  0.5  m.  of  the  present  top  of 
the  hill.  In  a  few  cases  ashes  were  noted  between  the  adobes.  Some- 
times an  adobe  seems  to  have  been  left  out  and  its  place  filled  with 
earth.  Stones  are  often  employed  for  filling  in  over  the  lower  floors. 
Room  II  at  the  entrance  from  Room  I  and  in  the  southern  end  was 
filled  by  alternate  layers  of  earth  and  single  lines  of  unworked  stones. 

The  question  of  the  purpose  of  such  a  variety  of  floor  levels  and 
so  evident  a  desire  for  renovation  has  never  been  satisfactorily  an- 
swered. Reference  is  frequently  made  by  the  early  Spanish  writers 
to  the  desire  of  the  natives  to  renew  their  temples  and  their  utensils 
at  the  end  of  certain  periods  of  time.  This  may  explain  in  part,  at 
least,  the  presence  of  floors  separated  from  each  other  by  only  a  few 
inches. 

DETAILED  DESCRIPTION 

The  natural  order  in  the  description  of  the  site  would  be,  perhaps, 
a  chronological  one,  beginning  with  the  lowest  and  earliest  examples 
of  construction  and  working  up  to  the  latest.  A  second  possibility 
would  be  to  work  in  the  opposite  direction,  beginning  with  what 
appears  to  be  the  latest.  Neither  of  these  methods  will  be  adopted. 
Leaving  out  of  account  for  the  present  the  probable  sequence.  I  wish 
to  begin  with  the  most  important  unit,  that  bounded  by  the  terrace 
and  called  the  Main  Structure  as  it  appeared  built  over  the  lower- 
most rooms  and  before  the  topmost  floor  (A)  was  added. 

Main  structure. — Terraces. — The  most  important  building  of  the 
site  rests  upon  a  step  or  Terrace  which  is  practically  a  perfect 
square,  IT. 5  m.  on  each  side.  The  northwestern  corner  of  the  Ter- 
race is  covered  by  the  road.  The  other  three  corners  were  uncovered. 
This  step  or  Terrace  is  only  0.15  m.  high  and  is  faced  by  a  single 
line  of  squared  stones.  The  floor  of  the  Terrace  is  of  plaster  and  is, 
in  most  cases,  well  preserved.  The  average  width  on  the  southern, 
eastern,  and  northern  sides  is  0.5  m.  Plate  5,  <7,  shows  the  Eastern 
Terrace  and  plate  7,  A,  the  Northern  Terrace.  On  the  western  side 
the  width  is  1.(5  m.  There  is  a  good  floor  in  some  places  in  front  of 
the  Terrace  (pi.  1,  U,  U',  V").  At  the  southeastern  corner  this 
floor  runs  under  the  higher  Level  Floor  B.  In  two  places  (pi-  1,  9,  9') 
a  mass  of  cement  was  found  on  this  floor  and  level  with  the  top  of 
the  Terrace.  Near  the  center  of  the  Kastern  Terrace  two  crater-like 
masses  of  cement  (pi.  1,  10,  10')  were  noted.     These  were  undoubt- 


tozzer]  EXCAVATION   AT    SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  27 

edly  at  one  time  the  foundation  for  beams,  although  it  is  difficult  to 
understand  what  beams  could  have  been  used  for  at  this  place. 

Construction. — It  is  interesting  to  note  the  stratification  of  the  low 
mound  on  which  the  Main  Structure  is  erected.  A  consistent  layer 
of  ash,  about  0.5  m.  thick,  the  top  of  which  is  about  on  the  level  of 
the  Terrace,  runs  through  the  whole  mound.  This  can  be  seen  in 
plate  2,  sections  i-j,  k-l.  Over  this  is  a  stratum  of  earth  and  directly 
beneath  the  floors,  in  almost  every  case,  a  single  line  of  adobe  bricks. 

Walls. — Only  two  pieces  of  the  outer  wall  of  the  building  are  still 
in  place.  These  are  of  stone  and  may  show  that  the  main  wall  was 
entirely  of  this  material.  A  line  of  worked  stones  was  set  at  an  angle 
at  the  base  of  the  wall.  These  appear  in  two  places  (pi.  1,  7,  7'; 
sees,  a-b,  c-d) . 

Patio. — The  central  part  of  the  building  is  difficult  to  make  out, 
owing,  first,  to  the  later  additions  of  Floor  A,  and,  secondly,  to  the 
excavation  made  here  by  a  previous  investigator.  The  northern  wall 
of  Rooms  III  and  IV  is  finely  plastered  and  is  below  the  level  of 
Floor  A.  At  the  base  of  this  wall  are  remains  of  two  narrow  steps 
or  floors  (pi.  1,  5)9  one  slightly  above  the  other.  The  same  two 
narrow  steps  or  floors  and  the  plastered  wall  behind  are  noted  to 
the  south  of  Rooms  V  and  VI.  It  seems  probable  that  at  a  time 
before  Floor  A  was  built  with  its  stone  supporting  walls  a  floor  or 
floors  ran  across  the  space  called  the  Patio  connecting  these  steps  or 
floors  (pi.  1,  5,  5').  This  floor  would  have  been  at  the  same  general 
level  as  that  of  the  other  rooms  of  the  structure  and  formed  a  kind  of 
court  or  patio  open,  in  all  probability,  on  the  eastern  side.  Plate  5,  b, 
gives  an  idea  of  this  shelf-like  floor  on  the  north  and  shows  how 
it  has  been  broken  off  by  the  erection  of  Floor  A.  Another  feature 
which  strengthens  the  supposition  that  there  was  once  a  floor  at 
the  general  level  of  Rooms  I,  III,  IV,  V,  and  VI  over  the  central 
portion  of  the  structure  is  the  stratification  below  Floor  A.  The 
stratum  of  ash  running  under  all  the  rooms  (pi.  2,  sec.  i-j)  is  con- 
tinuous over  the  central  space  and  is  now  visible  under  Floor  A. 

From  the  Patio  the  main  entrance  to  the  building  would  have  been 
on  the  eastern  side  of  Room  I.  Another  piece  of  evidence  in  favor 
of  the  idea  of  a  floor  over  the  Patio  at  the  level  of  Room  I  is  furnished 
by  a  small  piece  of  plaster  flooring  attached  to  a  line  of  worked 
stones  (pi.  1,  3)  forming  a  part  of  the  eastern  side  of  Room  I  and  set 
almost  flush  with  the  floor.  This  bit  of  floor  indicates  that  the  floor 
of  the  Patio  was  slightly  higher  than  the  floor  of  Room  I  (pi.  4,  a). 
The  line  of  stones  runs  under  the  stone  wall  which   projects  into 

8  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  the  underground  rooms  excavated  at  Teot iliuaean  :i 
similar  feature  to  these  step-like  floors  is  found  on  the  walls  of  a  room  5  m.  above  the 
present  floor. 


k2S  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  Mmi.i.ti 

Room  I,  indicating  that  this  wall  was  a  part  of  a  later  construction 
and  probably  the  support  of  Floor  A. 

Room  I. — This  is  the  main  room  of  the  structure.  The  western  wall 
is  well  preserved  and  the  plaster  covering  the  adobe  is  still  to  be  seen 
in  many  places  (pi.  4,  b).  The  floor  is  also  well  preserved.  There  is 
a  curious  break  in  the  plaster  of  this  floor,  running  around  nearly 
the  whole  room.  The  floor  near  the  walls  is  slightly  higher  than  that 
in  the  middle  of  the  room  (pi.  1,  sec.  a-b).  The  uniform  break  in 
the  floor  may  be  due  to  the  destruction  of  a  low  step  connecting  the 
higher  floor  near  the  walls  with  the  floor  in  the  middle.  This  is  the 
only  explanation  I  can  suggest  to  account  for  the  even  break  around 
the  room. 

The  projections  in  the  western  wall  of  Room  I  were  probably  in- 
tended to  lessen  the  distance  to  be  bridged  by  the  roof-beams.  At 
either  end  of  the  room  the  floor  clearly  indicates  the  former  presence 
of  a  single  pillar.  Similar  supports  are  very  frequent  in  the  plans 
of  the  rooms  excavated  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan.  The  width  of  the 
outside  rooms  made  at  the  northern  and  southern  end  by  the  pillars 
is  not  equal,  as  may  be  seen  on  the  plan.  It  is  impossible  to  know  to  a 
certainty  whether  there  was  an  entrance  to  Room  I  at  the  northern 
and  southern  ends.  I  have  indicated  in  the  plan  no  break  in  the  out- 
side wall  of  the  building  at  these  places. 

Room  II. — Opening  from  Room  I  on  the  west  through  a  well-de- 
fined doorway  is  Room  II.  The  original  floor  of  this  room  is  marked 
D  (pi.  1 )  and  is  the  same  level  as  the  floor  around  the  sides  of  Room  I. 
At  the  western  side  and  at  both  ends  of  the  room  is  another  floor  ((') . 
at  a  slightly  higher  level  than  Floor  D  (pi.  1.  sec.  e-f ;  pi.  8,  c).  A 
narrow  strip  of  the  original  floor  (D)  runs  out  to  the  northern  wall 
of  the  room  in  the  northeastern  corner.  It  seems  probable  that  the 
floor  on  the  lower  level  once  covered  the  entire  room.  The  second 
floor,  as  will  be  pointed  out  later,  was  probably  built  to  connect  with 
Floors  B  and  B'  on  the  south  and  north,  which  are  of  the  same  level. 

Rooms  III,  I  V  (pi.  5, a). — Opening  from  the  southern  end  of  Room 
I  is  Room  III,  and  from  this  in  turn  opens  Room  IV.  The  floor  is 
entirely  gone  from  Room  III  and  only  partially  preserved  in  Room 
IV.  The  outer  facing  of  the  northern  wall  of  these  two  rooms  is  still 
in  place. 

Rooms  V,  VI  (pi.  5.  b). — Corresponding  to  III  and  IV  on  the 
south.  Rooms  V  and  VI  open  from  Room  I  on  the  north.  Koom  V  is 
the  best  preserved  of  any  of  the  rooms  in  the  building.  Near  the 
center  of  Koom  VI  there  is  a  square  formed  of  worked  stones  set 
flush  with  the  floor  (pi.  7.  A).  This  was  found  filled  to  tin1  depth  of 
()..")  in.  with  ashes.  This  has  previously  been  called  a  fireplace.  No 
shards  were  found  in  connection  with  the  stones. 


rozzHB]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  29 

Floor  A. — Of  the  area  included  in  the  Main  Structure  there  remains 
to  be  described  the  highest  floor  (A)  and  its  sustaining  walls  of  stone. 
The  relation  of  this  floor  to  Eoom  I  is  best  seen  in  plate  1,  section  <?-/, 
and  plate  5,  <z,  b.  As  has  been  pointed  out,  the  ever-present  stratum 
of  ash  runs  under  this  floor.  Above  this  ash  there  are  in  turn  a 
narrow  stratum  of  earth,  a  second  layer  of  ash,  a  thick  stratum 
of  earth,  and  a  single  row  of  adobe  bricks,  which  comes  under  the 
floor  itself  (pi.  2,  sec.  i-j).  This  floor  originally  covered  the  greater 
part  of  the  space  I  have  called  the  Patio,  leaving  a  narrow  space  on 
the  north  and  south  between  it  and  the  walls  of  Rooms  III,  IV,  V,  and 
VI.  The  floor  is  supported  on  the  southern  and  northern  sides 
and  the  southwestern  and  northwestern  corners  by  stone  walls, 
which  were  probably  built  on  the  former  floor  of  the  Patio.  Worked 
stones,  forming  the  base  of  the  wall,  still  remain  on  the  northern  side 
(pi.  1,6),  showing  that  the  floor  did  not  extend  over  Rooms  V  and  VI. 
The  buttress-like  stone  construction  (pi.  1,  sec.  e-f)  on  the  western 
side,  near  the  northwestern  corner,  and  duplicated,  in  all  proba- 
bility, near  the  southwestern  corner  on  the  same  side,  are  built  up 
from  the  floor  of  Room  I  and  seem  to  show  that  the  highest  floor  (A) 
was  built  at  a  time  when  Rooms  I  and  II,  together  with  the  lateral 
Rooms  III  and  IV,  were  not  filled  in.  It  is  impossible  to  account  for 
the  fact  that  there  is  no  stone  wall  in  the  center  of  the  western  side 
of  Floor  A  and  it  is  difficult  to  understand  the  purpose  of  the  angles 
made  by  the  stone  walls  in  the  northwestern  and  southwestern 
corners. 

Only  a  small  portion  of  Floor  A  remains.  The  greater  part  was 
destroyed  by  the  former  visitor  to  this  site.  Two  layers  of  adobe 
bricks,  some  of  which  measured  0.27  by  0.27  by  0.12  m.,  were  found 
in  many  cases  still  in  place  over  the  floor.  The  outer  walls  of  the 
room  or  rooms  of  which  this  floor  is  a  part  are  not  to  be  made  out. 
The  floor  on  the  western  and  northern  sides  runs  to  the  very  edge  of 
the  stone  wall  beneath.  Two  breaks  in  the  floor  (pi.  1,1,1';  pi.  8,  b) , 
with  the  characteristic  upward  slope  of  the  floor  itself,  indicate  two 
pillars  of  adobe.  A  longitudinal  break  in  the  floor  (2)  may  indicate 
a  former  wall  of  a  small  room.  The  upward  slope  of  the  floor  on 
the  western,  northern  (pi.  1,  8),  and  eastern  sides  of  this  small  room 
shows  clearly  that  there  was  a  wall  starting  from  the  floor  itself  at 
these  points. 

Floor  A' . — Two  small  pieces  of  floor  (A')  high  up  on  the  wall  of 
earth  left  between  the  Western  Terrace  and  the  road  (pi.  1,  sec. 
e-f)  show  that  a  floor  at  this  high  level  formerly  extended  along 
the  western  side  of  the  site.  The  first  thought  is  that  this  floor  is 
similar  in  point  of  time  to  Floor  A  just  described.  The  former  is 
very  slightly  higher,  however.     The  fact  that  Room  I  and  a  great 


30  BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN   ETHNOLOGY  [boll.  74 

part  of  Room  II  were  filled  in  solid  with  adobes  up  to  the  level 
of  Floor  A  lends  strength  to  this  supposition.  Both  Floor  A  and 
Floor  A'  were  only  slightly  below  the  former  level  of  the  hill. 
Plowing  might  easily  explain  the  destruction  of  the  greater  part 
of  this  portion  between.  If  this  idea  is  accepted,  the  question  diffi- 
cult to  answer  is,  Why  were  the  stone  walls  with  the  buttresses  built 
to  sustain  Floor  A  if  this  floor  extended  to  the  west  over  Rooms  I 
and  II? 

Continuation  of  terraces. — Following  a  description  of  the  Main 
Structure,  some  mention  should  be  made  of  additions  to  the  Terrace 
on  the  southwestern  and  northwestern  corners.  These  were  prob- 
ably built  subsequent  to  the  erection  of  the  Northern  and  Southern 
Extensions,  showing,  in  all  probability,  that  the  Main  Structure  and 
the  Extensions  were  occupied  at  the  same  time. 

Room  X. — This  is  on  the  south  and  is  an  addition  to  the  Terrace 
floor  in  the  southwestern  corner.  The  plaster  of  the  floor  covers 
the  top  of  the  stone  facing  of  the  Terrace  and  the  floor  was  clearly 
built  over  the  depressed  Floor  H  (pi.  6,  a) .  In  the  center  of  Room  X 
a  large  stone  (17)  was  found  resting  on  the  floor.  It  was  worn 
smooth  on  the  top.  It  may  at  one  time  have  formed  the  base  of  a 
timber  support.  A  wall  has  been  indicated  along  the  southern 
and  western  sides  of  this  room.  That  on  the  west  is  made  evident 
by  three  worked  stones  (16)  forming  the  outside  facing  of  the  wall. 
On  the  southern  and  eastern  sides  the  floor  runs  to  the  edge  with 
no  trace  of  a  wall.  On  the  south  a  wall  of  earth  was  left  in  place 
(pi.  7,  a),  as  0.25  m.  above  the  floor  three  small  pieces  of  a  higher 
floor  (J)  were  found.  These  are  similar  in  height  to  a  piece  of  floor 
(J')  found  to  the  west  of  the  Western  Terrace.  This  floor  is  diffi- 
cult to  explain.  The  only  suggestion  that  can  be  offered  is  that 
J  and  J'  are  the  remains  of  a  former  floor  on  the  south  and  west 
corresponding  in  height  to  Floor  M  on  the  north.  It  seems  probable 
that  in  addition  to  the  continuation  of  the  Southern  Terrace  floor  now 
seen  in  Room  X  the  entire  floor  of  the  Southern  Terrace  was  ex- 
tended under  Floor  B  well  up  to  the  northern  wall  of  Room  XL 
Proof  of  this  is  given  in  the  remains  of  plaster  from  a  broken  floor 
found  tinder  the  higher  level  Floor  B  and  ;it  the  same  height  as  the 
floor  of  the  Terrace  (pi.  2,  sec.  i-j). 

Floor  G. — This  is  another  addition  to  the  Terrace  at  the  south- 
western corner.  Here,  as  in  the  previous  case,  the  floor  is  flush  with 
(he  top  of  the  stones  facing  the  Terrace.  This  floor  extended  under 
the  road. 

Room  XII  (pi.  C,  b). — An  addition  to  the  Terrace  on  the  north- 
western corner,  corresponding  to  Uoom  X  on  the  southwest,  should 
be  noted.  The  plaster  just  covers  the  top  of  the  facing  stones.  The 
northern  end  of  this  room  is  not  known,  as  it  is  covered  by  Floors  M 


tozzbb]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,   MEXICO  31 

and  B'.     It  is  clear  that  it  extended  to  the  west  under  the  present 
road. 

As  on  the  southern  side,  there  is  evidence  of  a  plaster  floor  under 
B'  (pi.  2,  sec.  i-j),  showing  that  the  entire  Northern  Terrace  floor 
once  extended  some  distance  to  the  north.  Floor  U'  in  front  of  the 
Terrace  on  this  side  was  covered  by  adobes  to  the  level  of  the  Terrace 
floor. 

Floor  on  east. — The  Eastern  Terrace  floor  was  also  probably  ex- 
tended in  the  same  way  as  on  the  other  three  sides,  as  remains  of  a  floor 
corresponding  in  height  to  that  of  the  Terrace  are  seen  in  the  earth 
left  in  place  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  excavation.  These  continua- 
tions of  the  floor  of  the  Terrace  on  all  four  sides  would  greatly  en- 
large the  area  of  the  Main  Structure.  There  were  no  stones  found 
marking  the  edge  of  the  extended  Terrace. 

Southern  extension. — Rooms  VII-XI  (pis.  6,  a;  7,  a)  are  a  unit 
and  quite  distinct  from  the  Main  Structure.  This  part  of  the  site 
was  probably  used  for  refuse  when  the  latter  was  built.  It  is  here 
that  we  found  the  beds  of  ashes  (pi.  2,  Pits  XV,  XVI)  containing  a 
large  number  of  shards.  The  rooms  of  the  Southern  Extension  are 
built  over  these  ash  deposits. 

Room  IX. — This  is  the  main  room  in  this  part  of  the  site.  A  line  of 
five  pillars  ran  around  the  southern  and  eastern  sides,  probably  sup- 
porting a  roof.  These  columns  had  fallen,  but  they  are  clearly  indi- 
cated on  the  floor  (pi.  6,  a).  The  central  part  of  the  room  may  not 
have  been  roofed  over.  In  the  excavation  of  this  room  a  mass  of 
adobe  (pi.  2,  13)  was  found  near  the  center.  This  had  not  been  re- 
moved when  the  photographs  were  taken  and  is  seen  in  plate  6,  a. 
Later  this  was  taken  up,  and  it  was  found  that  the  floor  runs  under 
it  with  no  break. 

Room  X,  attached  to  the  Terrace  of  the  Main  Structure,  was  built, 
as  already  mentioned,  after  the  Southern  Extension,  as  Floor  H  runs 
under  it.  Floor  H  is  slightly  depressed  (pi.  6,  a),  and  the  line  of 
depression  is  marked  by  worked  stones.  As  it  was  not  thought  best 
to  remove  the  upper  floor,  and  as  there  was  no  room  for  tunneling, 
Floor  H  could  not  be  followed  out. 

P'loor  K,  on  the  northern  side  of  Room  IX,  slopes  upward  and  was 
probably  once  attached  to  Floor  U",  extending  in  front  of  the  Ter- 
race. 

A  part  of  the  northeastern  wall  of  Room  IX  is  covered  by  the 
western  end  of  Floor  B.  The  end  of  the  wall  widens  out,  and  on  the 
northern  side  there  is  a  decided  slope  to  the  Avail  similar  to  many  at 
Teotihuacan.  At  the  northeastern  corner  the  Avail  overhangs  (pi.  8, 
d),  also  a  feature  at  Teotihuacan. 

The  AATestern  side  of  Room  IX  is  more  or  less  indefinite.  There 
was  undoubtedly  another  large  room  to  the  west  extending  under  the 


32  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN   ETHNOLOGY  [bull.  74 

present  road.  Floor  F  is  0.7  in.  higher  than  the  floor  of  IX  and  at 
one  place  is  lined  with  stones  (pi.  1,  14).  It  was  built  after  Room 
IX,  as  Floor  H  runs  under  the  edge  of  F.  The  remains  of  a  wall 
set  in  plaster  were  noted  along  the  eastern  edge  of  Floor  F.  This 
is  not  shown  in  the  plan. 

Rooms  VII,  VIII . — The  first  opens  from  IX  on  the  south.  Excava- 
tions were  made  to  the  south  of  these  rooms,  but  nothing  was  found. 
The  floor  at  the  southwestern  corner  of  Room  IX  was  badly  broken 
by  subsidence.  This  extended  into  VII.  This  sinking  of  the  floor 
was  due,  as  already  noted,  to  the  thick  bed  of  ash  beneath.  It  was 
at  this  point  that  Pit  XVI  was  duo;.  Room  VIII  opens  from  Room 
VII  and  has  no  connection  with  Room  IX. 

Room  XI. — The  room  second  in  importance  in  the  Southern  Ex- 
tension is  Room  XI,  opening  from  Room  IX  by  a  clearly  marked 
doorway  (pi.  6,  a).  The  northern  side  of  the  northern  wall  is  cov- 
ered by  Floor  B.  Tunnels  a  and  /;  (pi.  2)  show,  however,  the  north- 
ern face  of  the  wall.  There  is  a  slight  projection  of  the  wall  on  the 
southern  side.  On  the  western  wall,  some  distance  to  the  north  of 
the  doorway  into  Room  IX,  a  semicircular  depression  is  noted  run- 
ning from  the  floor  to  the  present  top  of  the  Avail.  It  was  evidently 
filled  at  some  time  with  a  post.  In  the  center  of  the  northern  end 
of  Room  XI  there  is  a  mass  of  plaster  mixed  with  large  stones  (pi.  1, 
12).  which  may  have  been  the  foundation  for  a  post  to  support  the 
roof.  A  broken  mass  of  adobes  was  noted  at  the  southern  end  of 
the  room  (11),  but  this  had  fallen  into  the  depression  made  by  the 
subsidence  of  the  floor  due  to  the  thick  bed  of  ash  beneath.  The 
floor  was  removed,  as  stated  in  another  place,  and  Pit  XV  was  made 
here. 

Floor  E,  a  curious  high-level  construction,  was  found  at  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  Room  XI  (pi.  7,  a),  0.84  m.  above  the  floor  of  XI. 
Only  a  narrow  piece  of  the  floor  is  preserved  and  it  ends  abruptly 
on  the  northern  side  with  no  evidence  of  a  wall.  The  remains  of  a 
narrow  Avail  are  found  on  the  western  side  extending  out  beyond  the 
southern  limit  of  Room  XI.  The  floor  of  the  latter  room  runs  behind 
this  piece  of  higher  floor. 

In  excavating  the  northern  end  of  Room  XI  two  smau  pieces  of 
floor  were  found  at  the  same  level  as  Floor  J  to  the  south  of  Room  X. 
Some  squared  stones  were  also  seen  near  the  eastern  wall  of  this 
room  above  the  floor.  These  two  features  are  not  shown  in  the  plan. 
Outside  the  eastern  wall  of  XI  three  pieces  of  a  rough  floor  were 
found  (pi.  L,  L,  I/,  L").  Excavations  Avere  made  along  this  Avail 
but  no  remains  of  a  room  or  rooms  were  noted.  These  rough  floors 
may  have  extended  around  the  outside  of  the  building.  At  the  south- 
ern side  of  Moor  L",  on  a  level  with  the  floor  of  XI.  the  remains  of 
;i  stone  fireplace  appeared. 


tozzek]  EXCAVATION    AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  33 

Northern  extension. — The  arrangement  of  rooms  on  the  north  of 
the  Main  Structure  is  not  symmetrical  in  plan  nor  similar  in  level 
to  those  of  the  Southern  Extension.  That  to  the  south  is  slightly 
lower  than  the  level  of  the  Terrace,  whereas  the  Northern  Extension 
is  slightly  higher  than  the  Terrace  (pi.  1,  sec.  a-b).  This  extension 
was  destroyed  to  a  great  extent  when  Floor  B'  was  built. 

Floor  M. — This  is  constructed  over  a  part  of  Room  XII  and  is 
0.31  m.  above  the  floor  of  this  room.  At  one  place  the  edge  of  M  is 
marked  by  several  worked  stones  (pi.  1,  IT;  pi.  (3,  b).  Floor  M  was 
at  one  time  probably  a  room  extending  under  the  road  to  the  west. 
The  wall  on  this  floor,  noted  in  the  plan  and  set  at  a  decided  angle,  is 
a  very  late  addition.  It  is  of  earth  with  two  horizontal  lines  of  stone 
running  through  it.    Floor  N  is  of  the  same  level  as  M. 

Room  XIII. — The  northern  side  of  this  room  is  difficult  to  make 
out  and  is  therefore  indicated  by  dotted  lines.  The  walls  of  this  room 
make  a  break  in  Floor  N.  Pit  XXIX  was  made  in  the  northwestern 
corner  of  this  room.  No  floors  were  found  underneath.  There  is  a 
break  between  Floors  N  and  O,  the  latter  being  0.1  m.  lower.  At  the 
northern  end  of  O  (pi.  1,  20)  a  burial  was  found. 

Higher  level  floors. — A  perplexing  feature  of  this  site  are  the 
two  high  narrow  floors,  B  and  B',  running  the  length  of  the  northern 
and  southern  sides  of  the  Main  Structure.  The  height  of  these  floors 
relative  to  that  of  the  other  floors  is  seen  in  plate  1,  sections  a-b, 
c-d,  and  plates  5,  b,  6,  b,  7,  b. 

Floor  B  (pi.  5,  a). — This  starts  on  the  east  at  a  point  well  beyond 
the  eastern  edge  of  the  Terrace  on  this  side.  It  is  built  over  the 
floor  in  front  of  the  Terrace  at  the  southeastern  corner  and  covers 
the  northern  wall  of  Rooms  IX  and  XI.  There  are  no  remains  of 
wall  surrounding  the  floor  and  it  ends  abruptly  on  all  sides.  The 
construction  of  Floor  B  can  best  be  seen  in  plate  2,  section  i-j.  The 
greater  part  of  the  foundation  for  this  floor  is  of  adobe  bricks  with 
a  stratum  of  earth  above  and  another  beneath.  Just  below  the 
adobes  the  earth  is  mixed  with  remains  of  plaster  on  the  same  level 
as  the  top  of  the  Terrace.  This  continuation  of  the  floor  of  the 
Terrace  has  already  been  discussed  (p.  30). 

Floor  B'  (pi.  7,  h). — This  is  almost  exactly  similar  to  B  in  its 
relative  position,  height,  and  size.  It  is  built  along  the  northern 
side  of  the  Main  Structure.  It  does  not  extend  as  far  to  the  east 
as  B.  A  short  piece  of  stone  wall  (pi.  1)  appears  on  the  southern 
side  of  this  floor  and  may  show  that  a  wall  once  surrounded  these 
long  narrow  floors.  The  foundations  of  B'  are  quite  unlike  those 
of  B.  In  the  latter  adobes  form  the  greater  part  of  the  support. 
Here  in  B'  (pi.  2,  sec.  /-/)  the  floor  rrsis  upon  ;l  single  row  of 
adobes.  Below  this  there  is  a  wide  stratum  of  earth  mixed  with 
17564°— 21 3 


34  BUREAU    OF    AxMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  [bull.  74 

Large  stones  beneath  which  is  a  thin  line  made  by  the  remains  of  the 
plaster  floor,  already  pointed  out  (p.  30),  of  the  same  level  as  the 
floor  of  the  Terrace.  This  broken  floor  rests  upon  a  layer  of  adobes. 
Below  this  we  find,  in  turn,  plaster  mixed  with  earth,  the  consistent 
stratum  of  ash,  and,  finally,  earth. 

Floor  C. — Between  the  western  end  of  Floor  B'  and  the  northern 
end  of  Floor  C,  the  higher  of  the  two  floors  in  Room  II,  and  at 
the  same  level  as  Floor  C,  a  few  pieces  of  plaster  flooring  were 
found.  This  clearly  establishes  a  connection  between  C  and  B'. 
This  is  not  indicated  in  the  plan.  We  find  that  B,  B',  and  C  are  of 
the  same  level.  C  was  built,  as  already  pointed  out  (p.  28),  over 
Floor  D.  There  are  several  indications  in  the  wall  of  earth  left 
between  the  excavations  and  the  road  that  this  Floor  C  once  ex- 
tended some  distance  to  the  west  beyond  the  line  of  the  Western 
Terrace.  We  can  assume,  I  think,  that  the  western  end  of  B  was 
attached  to  the  southern  end  of  C  just  as  we  have  found  proof  of 
the  attachment  of  the  northern  end  of  C  with  the  western  end  of  B', 
thus  forming  a  continuous  floor  around  three  sides  of  the  Main 
Structure. 

Floor  on  east. — With  this  floor  running  around  three  sides  we 
sought  for  remains  of  a  similar  floor  on  the  east.  In  the  eartli  left 
in  front  of  the  Eastern  Terrace  a  distinct  stratification  is  noted 
(pi.  2,  sec.  k-l).  On  a  hard  floor  of  adobes  there  rests  a  thick  stratum 
of  large  stones.  On  the  top  of  this  layer  of  stone  pieces  of  plaster 
were  found,  evidently  from  a  floor.  The  level  of  this  plaster  is  almost 
exactly  equal  to  the  level  of  Floor  B,  C,  and  B'.  It  has  already  been 
pointed  out  that  earth  freely  mixed  with  large  stones  forms  the  main 
part  of  the  foundations  of  Floor  B'.  We  therefore  have  for  this 
postulated  floor  on  the  eastern  side  a  foundation  similar  to  B'  on  the 
north.  It  is  therefore  more  than  probable  that,  surrounding  the 
Main  Structure,  there  was  at  one  time  a  continuous  floor  on  all  four 
sides,  making,  possibly,  the  step  or  terrace  of  a  pyramidal  struc- 
ture. At  the  time  this  floor  was  built  the  depression  made  by  the 
Terrace  on  the  north  and  south  was  filled  in.  The  remains  of  a 
floor  on  the  eastern  side  were  noted  in  the  earth  removed  over  the 
Eastern  Terrace  and  this  floor  probably  ran  to  the  stone  wall  postu- 
lated on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Patio. 

Lowest  floors. — As  already  pointed  out,  our  one  aim  in  the  ex- 
cavation of  this  site  was  to  preserve  all  the  floors  and  walls  found 
still  in  place.  It  was  therefore  impossible  to  study  exhaustively  the 
lowest  floors,  as  these  were  covered  in  every  case  by  the  rooms  of  the 
Main  Structure.  Tunneling  was  unsatisfactory  as  the  distance  be- 
t  ween  the  two  floors  is  in  most  cases  only  a  1  tout  1.25  m.  Under  these 
conditions  it  was  not  found  possible  to  establish  the  plan  of  the 


tozzer]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  35 

rooms  for  the  lowest  levels  of  the  site.  A  description  of  the  floors 
found  and,  in  a  few  cases,  the  walls  will  alone  be  attempted.  The 
lowest  floors  are  far  less  well  preserved  than  those  above.  They  are 
usually  very  uneven  and  vary  much  in  thickness.  There  are  many 
breaks  which  can  not  always  be  explained.  The  tunnels  and  the 
floors  found  are  shown  in  plate  2. 

Floors  in  Tunnels  n-p. — The  lowest  construction  apart  from  the 
wells  is  under  a  part  of  the  Northern  Terrace  running  to  the  north 
under  Floor  B'  (Tunnels  n-p).  At  this  place  there  was  clearly  a 
room  the  dimensions  of  which  could  be  ascertained  with  some  cer- 
tainty, 3.7  m.  east  and  west  and  3.1  m.  north  and  south.  The  southern 
side  of  the  room  in  Tunnel  o  is  marked  by  the  remains  of  a  stone  wall, 
one  of  the  few  cases  where  the  wall  of  one  of  the  lowest  rooms  may 
be  studied.  The  limits  of  the  western  side  of  the  room  are  shown  in 
Tunnel  n,  while  the  eastern  side  of  the  room  is  in  Tunnel  p.  The 
edge  of  this  floor  is  clearly  marked  by  a  line  of  worked  stones  set 
flush  with  the  floor.  There  is  a  decided  rise  in  the  floor  at  the  north- 
eastern corner. 

Floor  P. — From  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  room  just  de- 
scribed and  0.7  m.  above  it  begins  a  curiously  wandering  floor  (P") 
in  Tunnel  I  under  Room  V.  This  floor  is  uneven  and  very  narrow. 
It  is  impossible  to  determine  the  dimensions  or  character  of  the  room 
of  which  it  was  a  part.  The  floor  continues  under  Floor  A  (P'). 
The  western  side  is  still  marked  by  two  stones  (pi.  2,  22)  set  at  the 
edge.  Here  also  are  two  round  elevations  in  the  floor  (21,  21':  also 
pi.  2,  sec.  i-j)  formed  by  stones  set  in  plaster  on  the  surface  of  the 
floor.  No  explanation  can  be  offered  for  these  protuberances.  The 
same  floor  (P)  continues  into  the  open  cut  made  to  the  south  of 
Floor  A  and,  turning  westward,  enters  Tunnel  /  (P3).  It  is  here 
hardly  more  than  a  plaster-covered  wall  separating  Floors  Q  and  Q'. 
Still  continuing  westward  in  Tunnel  e  (P4)  it  comes  out  in  the  open 
Pit  XVII  and  is  lost  under  the  wall  of  earth  left  between  the  excava- 
tion and  the  modern  road.  P5  is  probably  a  part  of  the  same  floor 
in  Tunnel  h  and  separated  from  P4  by  a  break.  The  eastern  side 
alone  is  visible  in  Tunnel  h  until  Tunnel  i  is  reached,  when  the 
western  side  is  marked  by  a  break  separating  it  from  another  piece 
of  floor  (P6)  at  the  same  level.  This  floor,  starting  under  Room  V 
and  continuing  under  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  Patio  and 
under  Rooms  I  and  II,  covers  so  large  an  area  that  it  may  at  one 
time  have  been  continuous  under  all  the  central  part  of  the  site. 

Floor  /?. — This  is  a  small  piece  of  plaster  flooring  in  Tunnel  / 
under  one  of  the  stone  buttressed  walls  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Patio.  This  floor  is  0.15  m.  below  Ps.  The  lower  floor.  Q,  bounds 
it  on  the  west  while  the  northern  side  ends  at  the  edge  of  the  higher 


36  BUREAU    OF  AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  |  mu..  7-1 

floor  P.  The  southern  side  is  marked  by  a  line  of  worked  stones 
which  extend  into  the  central  excavation  (pi.  1,  4,  and  sec.  c-d). 

Floor  Q. — This  is  a  third  floor  on  a  different  level  in  Tunnel  /'.  It 
is  0.3  m.  below  P  and  0.15  m.  below  R.  The  southern  side  is  seen 
at  the  entrance  to  Tunnel  /  from  Tunnel  c  and  is  here  marked  by  a  line 
of  worked  stones,  a  continuation  of  those  forming  a  side  of  Floor  R. 
Q',  in  Tunnel  g,  is  probably  a  part  of  the  same  floor  and  is  separated 
from  Q  by  the  higher  and  narrow  Floor  P s.  The  eastern  edge  of  Q'  in 
Tunnel  g  is  clearly  marked  by  a  sharp  rise  in  the  floor  level  seen  in 
most  cases  at  the  edge  of  a  room.  A  part  of  the  western  side  of  Q'  is 
seen  in  the  tunnel  connecting  g  and  h,  which  also  shows  the  sharp 
edge  of  the  higher  Floor  P5.  The  Floor  Q  and  Q'  indicates  more 
nearly  the  floor  of  a  room  than  any  of  the  other  floors  under  the  Main 
Structure. 

A  floor  of  tepetate  is  noted  in  Tunnel  d  (pi.  2,  sec.  i-j)  on  the  same 
level  as  Floor  Q.  A  small  piece  of  floor  (S,  pi.  2,  sec.  g-h)  under  P4 
should  be  noted.  This  was  found  in  Pit  XVII.  Its  limits  were  not 
ascertained. 

No  floors  were  found  in  Tunnels  /',  /,  and  ///.  It  is  also  well  to  note 
that  no  floors  were  found  under  the  Patio  with  the  exception  of  P 
on  the  western  side. 

Xiches  in  Tunnels  e,  h. — In  the  northern  wall  of  Tunnel  e  (pi.  2, 
24)  and  again  in  the  western  wall  of  Tunnel  h  (25)  a  curious  niche- 
like construction  was  found.  A  squared  stone,  0.45  by  0.45  m.,  formed 
the  base  of  the  depression  in  Tunnel  e.  The  walls,  composed  of 
small  stones  set  in  adobe,  met  0.52  m.  above  the  stone,  making  a  sort 
of  beehive-shaped  cubicle.  This  contained  nothing.  These  two 
niches  were  found  almost  exactly  under  the  western  edge  of  Floor  D 
in  Room  II.  It  is  suggested  that  possibly  the  western  side  of  D  was 
at  one  time  the  extent  of  the  Main  Structure  and  these  cubicle  open- 
ings were  on  the  side  of  the  outer  wall  of  the  building  upon  the 
Western  Terrace.  There  are  two  other  pieces  of  evidence  which  may 
go  to  show  that  the  floor  of  the  Terrace  on  the  west  was  wider  than 
is  now  indicated.  Floor  T,  in  the  northern  end  of  Tunnel  h,  is  on 
the  same  level  as  the  floor  of  the  Terrace  and  of  the  same  composition. 
In  Pit  XVIII  (pi.  2,  sec.  k-l)  a  floor  (27)  of  the  same  level  as  that  of 
the  Terrace  is  found  running  under  the  western  wall  of  Room  II. 

As  already  pointed  out  (p.  19),  the  lowest  Tunnel,  y,  running 
from  Pit  XXI  on  the  west  to  Pit  XVII  and  Tunnel  s  branching 
from  y  and  running  into  Pit  XX  I  V  show  no  floors  of  any  kind.  The 
only  remains  found  in  these  lowest  excavations  consisted  of  a  square 
piece  of  tepetate  0.7  by  <•."  by  0.5  m.  near  the  top  of  the  wall  in 
Tunnel  //.  1.5  m.  east  of  Pit  XVII.  together  with  a  few  shards  and 
one  pottery  head. 


xozzhb]  EXCAVATION    AT   SANTIAGO    AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  37 

SEQUENCE 

It  is  impossible  to  state  definitely  the  order  of  the  construction  of 
the  different  parts  uncovered  in  this  excavation.  It  seems  almost 
certain  that  the  history  of  the  site  extended  over  a  considerable  period 
of  time.  There  were  constant  changes.  Renovation  seems  to  have 
been  the  watchword,  floors  built  over  floors  with  or  without  a  pre- 
vious destruction  of  the  work  underneath.  The  reader  can  well  un- 
derstand by  this  time  the  perplexing  character  of  the  details  in  the 
successive  plans.  It  has  already  been  intimated  that  the  conditions 
here  as  regards  floor  built  over  floor  are  not  by  any  means  unique.  In 
almost  all  cases  where  excavations  have  been  made  in  the  area  in- 
cluded in  Middle  America  there  is  this  persistent  phenomenon  of 
different  floor  levels. 

By  a  careful  study  of  all  the  data  it  is  possible  to  give  some  idea 
of  the  approximate  order  of  the  building.  There  are  many  features 
which  must  remain  forever  obscure.  The  perishable  nature  of  the 
adobe  and  earthen  walls  accounts  for  much  natural  destruction. 
This,  coupled  with  activity  of  the  inhabitants  to  rebuild  and  renovate, 
makes  the  task  of  establishing  the  history  of -the  building  a  most  diffi- 
cult one.  A  small  piece  of  floor  perhaps  not  more  than  a  few  inches 
square  seems  hardly  large  enough  to  furnish  proof  of  the  supposition 
that  a  floor  at  this  level  once  covered  a  large  part  of  the  site,  and  yet 
this  square  bit  has  to  be  fitted  in  as  a  part  of  the  history. 

Starting  with  the  lowest  floors  the  following  sequence  is  offered 
only  as  a  suggestion  of  the  probable  order  in  the  building  of  the 
site: 

Peejod  I  (pi.  2)  — 

1.  Floor  and  walls  in  Tunnels  n,  o,  i>  under  Northern  Terrace. 

2.  Floor  Q,  Q'  in  Tunnels  /',  g,  under  Rooms  I,  IT. 

3.  Floor  R  in  Tunnel  f. 

4.  Floor  I'-P"  in  Tunnels  e-k  under  Rooms  1,  II.  Patio,  and  Floor  A. 
Four  wells  used  during  this  period. 

Period  II  (pi.  1)  — 

Main  Structure  surrounded  on  four  sides  by  Terrace  and  Moor  (U,  U\  U") 

in  front  of  Terrace. 
Wells  probably  rilled  up. 
Refuse  piles  of  ash  made  during  this  period. 

Period  III — 

Southern  Kxtension  with  Rooms  VII-IX,  XT. 
Later,  Floor  F. 

Period  IV — 

Additions  i<>  floor  of  Terrace  (  1  )   along  eastern  side  of  Room  X  and  re- 
mains of  floor  under  P..  (2)  mi  wesl  by  Floor  G,  (3)  along  northern  side 

by  Room  XII  and  remains  of  floor  under  B',   (4)  on  east   by  II "  of  the 

same  level  as  that  of  the  Terrace. 


38  BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  [bull.  74 

Period  V- 

Northern  Extension  with  Floors  M-O,  Room  XIII,  and  poss'bly  the  same 
floor  level  extending  on  the  west   and  south,  as  shown  by  -V  and  J,  the 
latter  to  the  south  of  Room  X. 
Period  VI — ■ 

Floors  B  and  B'.    Floor  C  on  the  west  and  remains  of  a  floor  on  a  similar 
level  on  the  east. 
Period  VII,  the  first  Aztec  remains — 
Wall  set  at  angle  over  Floor  M. 
Floor  E  in  southeastern  corner  of  Room  XI. 
Period  VIII— 

Floor  A,  the  highest  Moor,  over  Patio  with  stone  supporting  walls  on  the 
four  sides. 
Period  IX — 

Rooms  I  and  IT  tilled  in  and  Floor  A  extended  to  the  west  to  A'. 

Period  I. — This  has  been  subdivided  according  to  the  various 
levels  of  the  floor.  (1)  The  floors  in  Tunnels  n-p  are  0.7  m.  below 
Floor  P",  but  the  floors  do  not  in  any  way  overlap  each  other.  (2) 
Floor  Q  is  0.3  m.  below  P3  and  was  probably  broken  by  the  building 
of  the  higher  floor.  (3)  Floor  R  is  0.15  m.  below  P3  and  0.15  m. 
higher  than  Q.  (4)  Floor  P-P°,  as  indicated  above,  is  the  highest 
floor  of  those  placed  in  this  period. 

The  four  wells  (W-Z)  were  probably  dug  at  about  the  time  that 
the  floors  under  Booms  I  and  II  were  made. 

Period  II. — The  Main  Structure  is  a  unit  and  is  the  most  definite 
of  all.  owing  to  the  Terrace  on  the  four  sides.  There  are  two  indi- 
cations that  the  Northern  Terrace  was  at  one  time  wider  than  is 
shown  in  the  plan  with  a  consequent  result  that  Room  II  was  nar- 
rower, possibly  only  the  width  of  Floor  D.  Floor  T,  in  the  northern 
end  of  Tunnel  A,  is  the  same  level  as  that  of  the  Terrace  and  of  the 
same  character.  Also  in  Pit  XVIII,  a  floor  (27)  of  the  same  level 
as  that  of  the  Northern  Terrace  is  found  under  the  western  wall  of 
Room  II.  The  four  wells  may  have  been  filled  up  during  this  epoch. 
The  refuse  piles  were  probably  made  at  this  time  (Pits  XV.  XVI, 
XXIV). 

Period  III. — The  Southern  Extension  was  subsequent  to  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Main  Structure  if  our  supposition  is  correct  that  the 
refuse  piles  in  Rooms  IX  and  XI  were  made  in  the  preceding  epoch. 
There  is  no  reason  to  suppose,  however,  that  the  Main  Structure  did 
not  continue  to  be  occupied  after  the  Southern  Extension  was  built. 
The  two  were  probably  joined  by  the  Floor  K  and  U".  I  have  placed 
here  in  Period  1 1 1  Floor  F.  built  along  the  western  side  of  Room  IX. 
It  is  undoubtedly  later  than  Room  1  X.  as  the  floor  of  the  latter  runs 
under  F. 

Period  IV. — The  Terrace  was  eliminated  by  filling  in  in  front  of 
the  stone  facing  and  thus  extending  the  floor  of  the  Terrace  over  and 
beyond  the  facing  stones.    A  solid  mass  of  adobes  was  often  found 


tozzer]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  39 

in  front  of  the  Terrace  and  level  with  the  floor.  This  is  noted  espe- 
cially over  the  northern  side.  The  extension  of  the  floor  of  the 
Terrace  in  the  southwestern  corner  (Room  X)  destroyed  a  part  of 
the  Southern  Extension  and  especially  Floor  H  over  which  Room  X 
was  built.  But  there  is  little  reason  to  suppose  that  Rooms  IX  and 
XI  were  abandoned  at  this  time.  The  floor  of  the  Southern  Terrace, 
other  than  in  Room  X,  reached  in  all  probability  the  northern  wall  of 
Rooms  IX  and  XL  It  could  not  have  extended  to  the  south  of  this 
wall,  as  the  wall  is  still  in  place  under  Floor  B.  It  is  impossible 
to  tell  how  far  the  widened  Terrace  floor  extended  on  the  western, 
northern,  and  eastern  sides.  On  the  north  the  Terrace  was  extended 
by  building  Room  XII  and  the  floor  under  B\  On  the  east  the  re- 
mains of  a  floor  appear  to  show  that  the  Terrace  was  extended  on 
this  side. 

Period  V. — The  Northern  Extension  is  clearly  later  than  Period 
IV,  as  Floor  M  is  built  over  Room  XII,  the  addition  to  the  Terrace 
floor  at  the  northwestern  corner.  Floor  M  runs  up  to  the  walls  of 
Room  XIII,  as  does  also  Floor  N,  showing  that  they  were  contempo- 
raneous. I  have  included  in  this  period  Floor  J,  to  the  south  of  Room 
X  and  slightly  higher  than  the  floor  of  this  room.  Floor  J',  a  small 
piece  of  floor  found  above  the  floor  of  the  Western  Terrace,  should 
also  be  included.  Both  J  and  J'  are  of  the  same  level  as  M,  N,  and  O. 
There  should  be  mentioned  in  connection  with  these  floors  the  remains 
of  two  small  pieces  of  plaster  found  in  excavating  the  northern  end 
of  Room  XI.  These  are  of  the  same  level  as  Floor  J.  It  is  suggested 
that  a  floor  of  this  level  covered  at  one  time  the  western  and  southern 
sides  of  the  site. 

Period  VI.— This  is  marked  by  a  decided  change  in  the  plan  of  the 
site.  The  higher  level  floors  which  come  in  this  epoch  are  built 
almost  entirely  over  earlier  constructions.  The  Southern  Extension 
was  probably  filled  in,  as  Floor  B  is  built  over  the  northern  wall  and 
also  runs  over  the  floor  in  front  of  the  Southern  Terrace.  Floor  B 
probably  ran  to  the  west  over  Room  X.  Floor  B',  on  the  north, 
was  built  over  Room  XII  and  probably  over  Floors  M-O,  which 
may  at  one  time  have  extended  under  B'.  There  is  difficulty  in  de- 
termining the  relation  of  Floor  C,  which  in  this  period  connected 
B  with  B',  with  Floor  D,  the  original  floor  of  Room  II  of  the  Main 
Structure.  It  is  probable  that  Floor  C  once  entirely  covered  Room 
II.  In  excavating  Room  I  a  small  piece  of  plaster  floor  was  found 
near  the  southwestern  corner,  0.27  m.  above  the  main  floor.  This 
would  be  about  the  height  of  Floor  C  in  Room  II.  This  latter  floor, 
the  connection  between  B  and  B',  may  not  only  have  covered  the 
entire  Room  IT  but  may  have  once  extended  into  Room  I.  T  have 
tried  to  show  elsewhere  (p.  31)  that  the  square  formed  by  B,  C,  and 
B'  was  completed  on  the  east  by  a  floor  the  remains  of  which  are 


40  BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  [bull.  74 

found  above  the  stratum  of  stone  on  that  side.  It  is  not  improbable 
that  at  this  time  the  space  between  Floor  B  and  Rooms  III  and  LV 
and  the  southern  end  of  Room  I  was  filled  in  over  the  floor  of  the 
Terrace.  In  the  same  way  the  Northern  Terrace  was  covered  by  the 
filling  between  the  high  level  Floor  F/  and  Rooms  V  and  VI  and  the 
northern  end  of  Room  I.  There  is  some  evidence  to  show  that  the 
high  level  floor  on  the  east  ran  to  the  eastern  wall  of  the  Patio,  thus 
covering  the  Eastern  Terrace.  All  this  would  greatly  enlarge  the 
area  of  the  Main  Structure  by  making  these  high  floors  on  the  four 
sides  a  part  of  the  building  which  had  already  been  increased  in 
area  by  the  additions  made  in  Period  IV. 

_  Period  VI 1. — As  has  already  been  noted,  it  is  impossible  to  differ- 
entiate with  absolute  certainty  the  floors  and  Avails  made  by  the 
Toltecs  from  those  erected  by  the  Aztecs.  The  site  was  probably 
occupied  continuously  from  one  culture  to  the  other.  From  a  study 
of  the  distribution  of  the  different  types  of  pottery  and  figurines  it 
seems  probable  that  the  site  was  occupied  by  people  of  the  pre- Aztec 
or  Toltec  culture  up  to  about  the  end  of  Period  VI.  The  changes 
which  are  noted  in  the  succeeding  periods  were  made,  in  all  prob- 
ability, by  the  Aztec  people.  Period  VII  is  comparatively  unim- 
portant and  is  not  marked  by  any  sweeping  changes  in  the  plan  of 
the  site.  In  this  sequence  which  has  been  suggested,  I  have  placed 
in  this  period  the  Avail  set  at  an  angle  over  Floor  M  in  the  northwest- 
ern corner  of  the  excavation.  This  floor  was  covered  with  debris 
when  the  wall  now  found  over  it  was  built.  This  wall  also  extended 
over  Floor  B\  It  is  the  only  construction  in  the  whole  site  which 
does  not  show  a  more  or  less  careful  orientation. 

The  elevated  Floor  E  at  the  southeastern  corner  of  Room  XI  has 
also  been  placed  in  this  period.  There  is  no  proof  thai  the  walls 
over  Floor  M  and  Floor  E  were  built  at  the  same  time,  but  they  both 
evidently  belong  to  the  Aztec  period  and  are  insignificant  changes 
compared  with  those  which  have  been  placed  in  Periods  VI 1 1  and  IX. 

Period  VIII. —  Floor  A  is  important  as  it  is  marked  by  the  most 
sweeping  changes  in  the  plan  of  the  Main  Structure.  This  period 
almost  certainly  belongs  to  Aztec  times,  as  much  Aztec  pottery  was 
found  in  connection  with  this  Moor.  Around  the  Patio  a  stone  wall 
was  built  and  the  space  between  filled  in  to  support  Floor  A.  There 
are  some  grounds  lor  thinking  that  Rooms  1  and  III-VI  still  con- 
tinued to  be  used  after  Floor  A  was  built.  The  straight  lines  of 
Floor  A  on  the  western  and  northern  sides  make  it  appear  as  if 
these  were  at  one  time,  at  least,  the  Limits  of  the  floor.  The  stone 
buttresses  of  the  wall  on  the  western  side  of  A  would  not  have  been 
needed  if  the  floor  had  extended  to  the  west  over  Room  I. 

Period  IX. — This  is  the  last  epoch  in  this  suggested  sequence  in 

the  history  of  the  site.    Rooms  I  and  II  were  filled  in  together,  in  all 


tozzer]  EXCAVATION    AT   SANTIAGO    AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  41 

probability,  with  all  the  other  rooms  of  the  Main  Structure.  Room 
I,  as  lias  already  been  pointed  out,  was  filled  with  adobes.  Between 
and  above  the  adobes  over  the  whole  extent  of  this  room  Aztec  types 
of  pottery  and  figurines  were  found.  Floor  A'  on  the  western  side 
is  the  remains  of  a  floor  which  may  have  covered  the  greater  part  of 
the  site  and  connected  with  Floor  A  in  the  center.  Remains  of  a 
layer  of  tepetate  in  some  places  high  up  in  the  filling  of  Room  II 
may  indicate  this  highest  floor  level,  as  tepetate  was  often  used  in 
place  of  adobes  immediately  under  the  floors. 

There  may  have  been  still  another  floor  over  A,  as  two  layers  of 
adobes  were  found  covering  the  greater  part  of  the  floor. 

Emphasis  must  again  be  laid  on  the  fact  that  the  divisions  into 
periods  is  only  suggestive.  There  is  often  opportunity  for  several 
interpretations  of  the  floor  levels.  A  knowledge  of  other  sites  of  this 
character  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico  would  be  a  great  help  in  deciding- 
many  unsettled  points.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to  hazard  a  guess 
as  to  the  length  of  time  for  any  of  the  periods. 

ARTIFACTS 

All  the  objects  found  in  this  excavation  are  in  the  Museo  Nacional 
in  Mexico  City.  Unfortunately  it  was  necessary  to  leave  Mexico 
before  a  complete  study  of  the  collection  could  be  made.  This  part 
of  the  report  has  been  written,  therefore,  from  notes  and  drawings 
but  without  any  of  the  collection  at  hand. 

In  discussing  the  objects  from  this  mound  it  may  be  assumed  that 
the  various  artifacts  belong  to  the  Toltec  culture  unless  special  men- 
tion is  made  to  the  contrary.  The  objects  of  Aztec  culture  are  com- 
paratively few  in  number  and  relatively  unimportant.  A  few  things 
which  are  clearly  pre-Toltec  or  Archaic  were  encountered.  These 
are  sporadic  and  do  not  indicate  that  the  site  can  be  dated  back  to 
the  time  of  the  earliest  occupation  of  the  valley.  Attention  is  called 
to  the  list  of  illustrations  (pp.  11,  12),  where  there  is  given,  as  ac- 
curately as  possible,  the  location  of  many  of  the  objects. 

Skeletal  remains. — The  human  remains  were  not  numerous.  In 
no  case  Avas  a  burial  found  in  direct  connection  with  objects.  In 
Pit  XV,  2.35  m.  below  the  floor  of  Room  XI,  a  skeleton  was  found. 
Owing  to  the  subsidence  of  the  ground  at  this  place  the  bones  were 
not  in  place.  In  Floor  O,  1.10  m.  outside  the  eastern  wall  of  Room 
XIII,  1  m.  from  the  surface,  a  second  skeleton  was  found  resting 
on  the  adobe  floor.  The  head  pointed  toward  the  west  and  the 
body  lay  on  its  back  with  the  legs  flexed.  At  the  crossing  in 
Tunnels  h  and  i  charred  human  bones  were  found  mixed  with  char- 
coal. A  few  scattered  human  bones  came  to  light  in  excavating  the 
wells. 


42  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  [boll.  74 

Remains  of  animal  bones  were  not  uncommon  hi  the  ash  deposits. 
They  were  very  rare,  however,  in  other  parts  of  the  site.  It  is  to  be 
regretted,  for  reasons  stated  before,  that  there  was  no  opportunity 
for  further  examination  of  the  skeletal  material. 

Stone  objects. — The  stone  objects  were  very  few  in  number  and 
comparatively  unimportant.  They  include  obsidian  points  and  cores, 
rough  flakes  of  obsidian,  three  quartz  spear  points,  several  handled 
rubbing  stones  and  pestles  of  tufa,  a  few  pieces  of  broken  metate,  two 
beads  of  serpentine,  and  a  single  stone  with  engraved  lines  upon  it. 

Shell  objects. — The  only  shell  objects  were  a  perforated  pendant 
and  some  small  pieces  of  mother-of-pearl. 

Human  figurines — Archaic  type. — This  horizon  is  very  poorly 
represented  in  this  site.  As  already  pointed  out,  there  seems  to  be 
no  ground  for  thinking  that  the  history  of  the  site  goes  back  to  the 
time  of  the  Archaic  period.  The  figurines  and  pottery  belonging  to 
this  culture  were  found  in  close  contact  with  a  far  larger  number  of 
objects  clearly  to  be  assigned  to  the  Toltec  period. 

The  only  unmistakedly  Archaic  body  is  shown  in  plate  9,  a.  It 
came  from  the  Tunnel  under  Room  II.  Plate  9,  b,  may  possibly 
belong  to  the  same  type.  Plate  9,  c,  is  an  unusual  form.  It  is 
painted  yellow  and  came  from  the  ash  stratum  above  the  wells.  It  is 
undoubtedly  Toltec.  A  seated  figure  with  the  typical  eyes  of  the 
Archaic  period  is  shown  in  plate  9,  d.  Other  heads  from  this  culture 
are  shown  in  plate  9,  e,  f.  The  latter  appears  to  belong  to  the  "  transi- 
tional type." 

Toltec  type. — A  surprisingly  small  number  of  the  typical  Toltec 
heads  was  found.  These  occur,  however,  in  large  numbers  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  site.  Of  those  found,  the  following  were 
the  most  striking:  A  head  with  dee])  holes  on  either  side  of  the  fore- 
head for  the  attachment  of  some  extraneous  decoration  (pi.  10,  «), 
the  typical  Toltec  scaled  figure  with  the  "  spectacled  eyes  "  (pi.  10,  b), 
a  head  attached  to  a  body  (pi.  10,  <°),  and  two  examples  of  Xipe,  the 
god  of  the  flayed  skin  (pi.  10,  d,  e). 

Coyotlatelco  type. — A  variety  of  Toltec  figurine  most  frequent  here 
has,  I  think,  seldom  been  described  (pi.  11.  a,  b.  <■).  It  is  not  found, 
as  far  as  I  know,  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan,  and  1  have  seen  only  a 
tew  of  this  type  from  the  Atzcapotzalco  area  outside  of  the  site  here 
described.  Tt  consists  of  a  complete  body,  much  thinner  than  the 
usual  Toltec  figurine,  and  characterized  especially  by  a  sharp-pointed 
nose.  The  face  is  usually  painted  red.  together  with  parts  of  the 
dress,  and  the  simple  headdress  is  sometimes  yellow.  The  faces  of 
these  figures  were  probably  not  always  made  in  molds.  Portions  of 
25  of  these  figurines  were  found  in  Pit  XVI  and  7  in  Pit  XV.  I 
have  called  this  variety  of  figurine  the  Coyotlatelco  subtype.     There 


tozzbb]  EXCAVATION    AT    SANTIAGO    AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  43 

are  many  local  differences  in  some  of  the  Toltec  figurines,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  many  types  are  identical,  whether  found  at  San  Juan 
Teotihuacan  or  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico. 

The  usual  types  of  arms  and  legs,  many  of  them  perforated  for 
attachment  to  bodies,  are  well  represented  at  this  site. 

Aztec  type. — Heads  of  this  type  are  very  few  in  number.     Plate 

12,  a,  shows  a  head  with  a  typical  Aztec  headdress  found  well  above 
the  floor  of  Room  IX  and  the  head  on  plate  12,  b,  came  from  above 
the  floor  of  Room  II.  Plate  12,  c,  d,  shows  a  female  form  with  curious 
indentations  above  the  breasts.  These  are  Aztec  and  were  found  with 
several  others  above  Floor  A.  They  are  not  uncommon  in  other  parts 
of  the  valley.  An  extremely  crude  head  is  shown  in  plate  12,  e. 
As  it  came  from  the  ash  deposit  beneath  Room  XI  it  probably  dates 
back  to  the  Toltec  period.  Plate  12,  /,  is  a  grotesque  with  open 
mouth  and  bulbous  nose. 

Animal  figurines. — There  is  a  comparatively  small  number  of 
animal  forms.  Plate  12,  <j,  shows  what  appears  to  be  the  head  of 
some  animal  attached  to  a  body.  The  upper  legs  are  broken  off. 
The  body  is  perforated  at  the  bottom  for  the  attachment  of  the  lower 
legs.  Plate  12,  /;,  is  an  owl  design,  more  common  as  a  form  of  head- 
dress in  the  Toltec  figures.  Plate  13,  a,  is  evidently  an  ocelotl  and  is 
painted  red.  The  point  of  attachment  to  an  oil  a  is  behind  the 
head.  This  as  well  as  the  owl  head  is  from  the  Toltec  culture. 
Plate  13,  5,  c,  are  probably  heads  of  deer.  The  latter  is  clearly  Aztec. 
It  was  once  attached  to  the  edge  of  an  olla  (see  Boas  Album,  pi.  59,  7). 
Plate  13,  d,  has  the  head  of  an  animal,  although  the  teeth  appear 
human.     An  interesting  type  of  animal  figurine  is  shown  in  plate 

13,  e.  Several  of  these  were  found.  The  body  is  hollow  and  some  of 
them  show  four  perforations  near  the  bottom,  evidently  for  the  at- 
tachment of  legs.  They  are  Aztec.  Serpent  heads  (pi.  13,  /)  are 
common.  They  are  from  the  Aztec  culture  and  form  in  most 
instances  the  ends  of  the  handles  of  incense  burners. 

"Adornos." — The  term  "  adornos "  has  been  given  to  the  clay  fig- 
ures which  are  usually  combined  in  large  numbers  to  form  large 
incense  burners.  Seiior  Gamio,  working  under  the  auspices  of  the 
School  near  Atzcapotzalco,  was  fortunate  in  finding  two  of  these 
braseros  complete.  They  consist  of  a  large  dish  on  a  stand  together 
with  a  cover.  From  the  top  of  the  cover  there  extends  a  chimney 
which  furnishes  a  draft  for  the  burning  incense  within.  On  this 
chimney  as  a  foundation  there  is  built  up  a  superstructure  of  flat 
pieces  of  clay  around  a  human  face  in  the  center.  On  this  framework 
a  large  number  of  the  adornos  are  attached.  These  decorations 
are  all  made  in  molds.  The  most  common  forms  are  rosettes  with 
or  without  an  open  center,  representations  of  feathers,  tassels,  shells, 


44 


BUREAU    OF    AMERICAN    ETHNOLOG1 


I  HILL.  74 


and  bird  forms.  Xo  brasero  was  found  complete  at  this  site  but  a 
large  number  of  the  adornos  appeared.  Plate  14  shows  one  of  these 
braseros  found  at  Santa  Lucia.  It  belongs  to  a  private  collection. 
This  type  of  brasero  and  its  ornaments  belong  to  the  Toltec  culture 
and  seems  to  be  typical  only  in  this  vicinity.  Figure  1  shows  some  of 
these  ornaments.  Remains  of  red  and  yellow  paint  are  very  common 
on  these  pieces.    The  central  feature  of  these  braseros  is  the  face  in 


Fig.  1. — a,  Adorno  from  Pit  XVI.     li,  Adorno  from  Pit  XV.     v,  Adorno  from  Pit  XXV. 

connection  with  which  the  adornos  are  found.  These  faces  are  much 
larger  and  thinner  than  those  of  the  regular  Toltec  heads.  Figure  2, 
«,  &,  shows  two  of  these  faces.  The  latter  has  the  eyes  colored  white, 
the  face  red  except  at  the  sides  and  under  the  mouth,  where  it  is 
yellow.  Figure  2,  <\  is  probably  another  of  this  type  of  head.  It  has 
red  paint  under  the  eyes. 

Whistles  and  flageolets. — From  the  Aztec  levels  of  the  site  27 
mouthpieces  of  clay  whistles  were  found.  Several  human  heads 
(fig.  2,  d)  occur  which  seem  to  have  been  pints  of  flageolets. 


tozzek] 


EXCAVATION    AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO 


45 


Incense  burners. — Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  elaborate 
braseros  in  connection  with  the  "  adornos."  Several  spoon-like  in- 
cense burners  were  found  in  the  upper  levels,  clearly  of  the  Aztec 
culture.  The  handles  are  often  decorated  with  stripes  of  red  paint 
running  lengthwise  or  across  the  handle.  In  one  example  incised 
lines  were  combined  with  the  painted  decoration.  In  some  cases 
serpent  heads  formed  the  ends  of  the  handles  (pi.  13,  /). 

Pottery  disks,  buttons,  marbles. — Several  thin,  round  pottery 
disks  occur  together  with  checker-like  disks,  often  with  two  incised 


Fig.  2. — a,  Face  from  brasero  from  Pit  XV.  h.  Face  from  brasero  from  Pil  XVI.  c, 
Face,  probably  from  brasero.  from  Pit  XXV.  above  vrells.  '/.  Head,  probably  forming 
part  of  a  flageolet. 

lines  at  right  angles  on  the  top  and  bottom.  Buttons  are  fairly  com- 
mon with  a  single  perforation  in  the  middle,  or  sometimes  with  four 
near  the  center.  Round  marble-like  masses  of  clay  were  found. 
Many,  1  or  2  cm.  in  diameter,  may  have  been  used  in  the  hollow  legs  of 
ollas  for  rattles.    The  largest  ones  were  about  4  cm.  in  diameter. 

Rubbers  and  stamps. — Small  round  pottery  rubbers  with  a  short 
projection  at  the  back  for  a  handle  are  common.  In  a  tew  cases  the 
bottoms  of  these  pieces  are  incised,  and  they  may  have  been  used  as 
stamps.  Another  type  of  object  which  lias  been  called  a  rubber  is 
seen  in  figure  3.     They  are  smooth   on  the  bottom   with  a   handle 


46 


BUREAU    OF    AMERICAN    ETHNOLOCV 


[BULL.  74 


Fig.  3. — Potter j'  rubbers. 


made  of  an  extra  piece  of  clay  running  across  the  top.  Small  shal- 
low holes  may  cover  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  top  (fig.  3,  a) .  Figure 
3,  b,  shows  a  second  variation  with  a  pellet  of  clay  added  at  one  side 

of  the  handle. 

Spindle     whorls.  —  Three     spindle     whorls, 

Aztec  in  type,  were  found  near  the  surface  of 

the  mound.    Figure  4,  a,  shows  an  unusual  form. 

Ear  plugs. — A  single  ear  plug  (fig.  4,  h)  came 

to  light  in  excavating 
to  the  south  of  floor  A. 
It  is  evidently  from  the 
Aztec  culture. 

Molds. — These  were 
uncommon.  Two  were 
found  for  making  the 
typical  Toltec  heads, 
one  for  making  an  adorno,  and  one  for  molding  a  rosette  or  button. 
Pottery. — No  complete  classification  of  the  ceramics  of  the  Valley 
of  Mexico  has  ever  been  attempted.  Dr.  Boas,  in  his  "Album  de 
arqueologia  mexicana  hecho  con  69  laminas,"  published  by  the  In- 
ternational School,  Mexico,  1912,  gives  a  large  number  of  pottery 
designs  collected  in  the  vicinity  of  Mexico  City.  Comparatively  few 
of  these  designs  were  duplicated  in  the  shards  from  this  mound. 
When  similar  types  occur,  reference  will  be  made  to  the  Boas  Album. 
An  attempt  has  been  made  here  to  indicate  very  roughly  the  various 
types  of  pottery.  This  is  presented  merely  as  covering  the  collection 
in  question  and  not  in 
any  way  as  an  attempt 
to  work  out  a  complete 
classification  of  the  ce- 
ramics of  this  part  of 
the  valley.  It  should  be 
noted  also  that  only  dec- 
orated shards  and  pots 
are  included.  A  fertile 
field  is  open  to  the  stu- 
dent of  ceramics  in  the 
study  of  the  undeco- 
rated  pottery.  Practically  no  attention  has  ever  been  paid  to  this 
phase  of  the  subject.  The  decorated  pottery  of  the  Archaic,  Toltec, 
and  Aztec  cultures  may  usually  be  distinguished,  but,  as  far  as  I 
know,  no  one  has  yet  attempted  to  classify  the  undecorated  pottery 
of  these  three  horizons.  In  the  following  description  it  will  be 
assumed  that  the  type--  belong  to  the  Toltec  culture  unless  mention  is 
made  to  the  contrary. 


Fig.    I.     ".    Spindle-   whorl    from   jusi    below    Floor  A. 
b,  Ear  plug  found  south  of  Floor  A. 


tozzbe] 


KXCAVATION   AT    SANTIAGO    AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO 


47 


r^y 


Type  /,  Archaic  white. — The  Archaic  culture  is  very  poorly  repre- 
sented in  the  pottery  from  this  site.  The  most  common  Archaic 
type  noted  here  is  that  decorated  on  both  sides  with  a  white  slip. 
There  is  usually  no  other  decoration.  In  some  cases,  however,  the 
pieces  have  roughly  incised  lines.  The  yellow  base  with  red  and 
Avhite  design  and  the  brown  base  with  red  and  white  design,  two 
common  Archaic  types  from  Zacatenco  and  Ticoman,  are  not  found 
here  (for  Archaic  painted  pottery,  see  Boas 
Album,  pis.  41,  47,  48). 

Type  II ,  Incised. — There  is  a  large  variety 
of  decoration  made  by  incised  lines  and  it 
has  been  thought  well  to  classify  this  into 
subt3Tpes. 

a.  The  most  common  form  of  incised  pot- 
tery consists  of  low  dishes,  with  flat  bottoms 
and  straight  sides,  and  low  bowls  mostly  of 
cream  color  or  light  yellow  and  occasionally 
black  (pi.  15,  a,  &,  and  Boas  Album,  pi.  62). 
The  design  is  of  rough  volutes  or  spirals 
along  a  band  on  the  outside  near  the  top. 
In  a  few  cases  the  part  covered  by  the  design 
is  red  and  the  rest  of  the  dish  is  yellow.10 

b.  Small  flat-bottomed  dishes  with  straight 
sides  of  a  fine  red  polished  ware.  The  most 
common  designs  are  spirals  and  curves 
usually  covering  all  of  the  outside.  They 
are  cut  through  the  red  slips,  showing  the 
yellow  base  (Boas  Album,  pi.  63,  1-5). 

c.  A  red  polished  ware  with  the  design  of 
birds  and  animals  scratched  very  deeply  into 
the  base  (Boas  Album,  pi.  63,  13). 

d.  Brown  base  and  slip  with  the  design 
deeply  incised  and  red  paint  rubbed  into  the 
lines  of  the  design.  This  type  is  represented 
only  by  one  shard. 

e.  Flat-bottomed  dishes  of  black  ware  with 
straight  sides  and  three  short  legs.  The  designs  are  elaborate  and 
the  background  is  often  cut  away  (pi.  15,  c,  and  Boas  Album,  pi. 
63,  16).  Figure  5  is  a  very  fine  example  of  this  type,  showing  a 
warrior  or  god  with  an  elaborate  speech  scroll  and  a  vulture  as 
a  headdress. 


Fig. 


i. — Incised    shard, 
Type  Ho. 


The  following  types  of  Archaic  incised  pottery  are  not  represented  in  this  site  • 
The  heavy  rimmed  bowls  in  red  with  very  faint  and  very  roughly  incised  lines  around 
the  outside  or  inside  (Boas  Album,  pis.  38,  9-18),  and  the  thin  brown  or  black  ware  with 
incised  designs  very  badly  made  (Boas  Album,  pi.  54,  12,  15-18). 


48 


BURFAF    OF    A.MKKICAX     FT  1 1  N  ( )\A  >(  i  V 


Bl   IX.  74 


Fig.    G. — Incised    shard,    Type    Ili. 


f.  Very  light  yellow  or  brown  ware.  The  designs  are  similar  to 
those  of  class  e,  but  they  are  not  as  deeply  incised,  and  the  back- 
ground is  yery  seldom  cut  away  (Boas  Album,  pi.  58,  2). 

g.  Thin  orange  ware  with  incised  and  punctate  designs.  This 
type  is  very  uncommon  here.    The  Archaic  punctate,  a  heavy-rimmed 

pottery  with  lines  of 
holes  made  by  the  end 
of  a  stick  or  incisions 
made  by  a  stick,  so 
common  on  the  hills  to 
the  north  of  the  valley, 
is  not  represented  at 
this  site  (Boas  Album, 
pi.  37,  1-7). 

h.  Incised  lines  fol- 
lowing very  roughly  the  painted  design  (Boas  Album,  pi.  63,  14). 
The  design  is  in  red  and  is  very  badly  drawn.  The  incised  lines 
follow  to  some  extent  the  outlines  of  the  painted  design.  This  type 
is  uncommon  here,  but  it  is  found  at  Teotihuacan.  I  am  inclined  to 
place  this  in  the  Toltec  culture.  There  is  sonic  question,  however, 
whether  it  does  not  belong  to  the  Archaic  horizon.11  A  few  pieces 
found  at  Zacatenco  would  strengthen  this  latter  view.  There  is  also 
an  Aztec  type  of  red  polished  ware  with  black  design  showing  incised 
lines  folloAving  the  design  (p.  53). 

i.  Culhuacan  gray.  A  dull  gray  ware  with  a  design  of  lines  in- 
cised over  the  upper  part  of  the  bowl  (fig.  6,  and  Boas  Album,  pi. 
32  ) .  This  is  a  very  com- 
mon type  at  Culhuacan. 
Type  III,  C  u  n  e  i  - 
j<>  fin .  —  The  marking 
covers  the  whole  pot 
and  is  made  with  a  flat 
or  pointed  stick  in  the 
-oft  clay  (Boas  Album, 
pi.  59,  14).  This  type 
i<  very  uncommon  here. 
It  probably  belongs  to 
the  Archaic  culture.  In  some  cases  the  marking  seems  to  have  been 
made  by  a  comb.  There  is  an  allied  type  where  the  marking  is  found 
only  on  the  bottom  of  the  inside  of  flat  dishes  (Boas  Album,  pi.  38,  3). 
This  is  clearly  Archaic. 

Type  /I'.  Textih  marked. — This  type  (fig.  7)  is  found  only  in 
small  shards.    The  shapes  of  the  pieces  could  not  be  determined.    The 


Fn 


7.     Textile-marked  shard.   Type   [V 


i  omparc  iiaehiTlin,  Types  of  ceramic  art   in  the  Vallej   of  Mexico,  p.  63. 


tozzer]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO 


49 


texture  is  very  coarse.  It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  distinguish  this 
from  what  has  been  called  "  the  Cuneiform  type."  This  class  of  pot- 
tery is  well  represented  here,  and  it  is  also  found  at  Ticoman  and 
other  sites  which  date  back  to  the  Archaic  period.  It  is  not  uncom- 
mon in  some  Aztec  sites.  It  is  therefore  impossible  to  limit  its  manu- 
facture to  a  single  culture. 

Type  F,  Grooved. — This  class  might  perhaps  be  called  a  variety 
of  the  incised  type.  The  lines  are  deeper,  wider,  and  the  edges 
smoother  than  in  the  typical  incised  ware.  In  the  latter  the  incised 
lines  break  through  the  slip.  In  the  present  type  the  grooves  are 
made  before  the  slip  is  applied.  The  depressions  may  have  been 
made  with  the  end  of  the  finger.  Sometimes  a  squash-like  appear- 
ance is  given  to  the  olla  on  account  of  these  depressions  (pi.  15,  d, 
and  Boas  Album,  pi.  58,  4).    There  is  another  type  of  grooved  pot- 


Fig.    8. — a,    Stamped    design,    Type   VI,    from    Pit    XVI.      b,    Stamped    design,    Type    VI. 
c,  Stamped  design,  Type  VI,  from  Pit  XXV. 

tery  coming  from  the  Archaic  culture  and  not  represented  at  this  site. 
In  this  the  depressions  run  horizontally  along  the  outside  near  the 
top  of  the  piece  (Boas  Album  pi.  37,  14—16). 

Type  VI,  /Stamped. — The  pieces  decorated  by  stamps  are  usually 
bowls.  The  stamps  offer  a  large  variety  of  very  beautiful  designs. 
A  common  form  is  that  of  a  twisted  rope  (fig.  8,  a).  Other  designs 
are  frets  (fig.  8,  b)  and  rosettes  (fig.  8,  c,  and  Boas  Album,  pis.  60,  61, 
1-13). 

Type  VII,  Molded. — This  name  has  been  given  to  that  type  of  ce- 
ramics where  the  decoration  is  composed  of  pieces  made  in  molds  and 
attached  to  the  outside  of  the  jar.  It  is  possible  to  distinguish  several 
subtypes  of  this  pottery. 

a.  Large  elaborate  designs,  two  of  which  usually  cover  the  greater 
part  of  the  olla.12  The  most  beautiful  shard  found  in  this  excavation 
is  of  this  type  (pi.  16.  a).     The  speech  scroll  occurs  in  front  of  a 

12  Seler  (op.  eit,  p.  501)  describes  this  type  of  design  as  being  "imprinted"  (einges- 
tempelter)  or  stamped.  It  is  quite  clear  that  the  decoration  was  molded  separately  and 
attached  to  the  olla. 

17564°— 21 4 


50  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY  [bull.  74 

human  face  with  an  elaborate  headdress.  Below  is  the  head  of  a  ser- 
pent. Another  interesting  shard  of  this  type  is  shown  in  plate  16,  b. 
It  is  the  day  sign  "  1  Cipactli,"  or  "  1  Couatl." 

b.  The  most  common  form  of  molded  decoration  is  found  on  round 
flat-bottomed  and  straight-sided  vessels  supported  on  three  short  legs 
and  usually  of  black  ware.  At  intervals  around  the  bottom  edge  is  a 
row  of  grotesque  human  faces,  each  from  the  same  mold  (pi.  15,  /,  and 
Boas  Album,  pi.  59, 11) .  The  head  may  be  replaced  by  a  more  simple 
design  (pi.  1G,  c)  or  by  a  circular  pellet  of  clay  (Boas  Album,  pi. 
59,  13). 

c.  Multiple  or  assembled :  Another  type  of  molded  decoration 
shows  the  different  parts  of  the  design  to  have  been  made  separately 
and  assembled  to  form  a  complete  design  (pi.  16,  d).  The  elaborate 
chimney  braseros  would  belong  to  this  type.  These  have  been  de- 
scribed under  the  heading  of  "  Adornos  "  (p.  43) . 

d.  Three  handles : 13  One  of  the  common  types  of  Toltec  pottery 
found  both  here  and  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan  is  shown  in  plate  15,  g. 
This  pottery  is  unpainted  and  coarse  in  texture.  It  is  characterized 
by  three  handles  projecting  upward  from  the  rim.  A  hole  runs  ver- 
tically through  the  handle,  coming  out  on  the  outside  of  the  vessel. 
On  the  outer  side  of  each  handle  is  a  face.  This  is  made  separately 
in  a  mold  and  attached  to  the  handle.  Disks  of  clay  are  usually  added 
at  the  sides  and  at  the  top  of  the  head.  The  most  common  form  of 
face  is  that  of  an  old  man,  wrinkled  and  worn.  Nineteen  of  these 
faces  were  found.  Four  were  of  the  "  spectacle  "  type  with  the  spec- 
tacles on  the  forehead.  Another  common  type  (pi.  16,  e)  has  the 
arms  shown  with  one  hand  resting  on  the  face.  These  faces  have  often 
been  described  as  belonging  to  figurines.  Dr.  Spinden  suggests  that 
it  is  possible  that  these  vessels  were  intended  to  be  suspended  by  ropes 
running  through  the  holes  in  the  handles. 

e.  Molded  and  punctate :  In  this  class  the  decoration  is  composed 
of  a  molded  figure  attached  to  the  piece  in  combination  with  a  punc- 
tate or  incised  design  (pi.  16,  /). 

Type  VIII,  Fillet  applique. — This  type  differs  from  the  molded  in 
the  fact  that  the  elements  of  the  design  seem  to  have  been  modeled  by 
the  hand  or  by  a  sharp  stick  and  attached  to  the  olla.     The  common 

13  Seler  (op.  cit.,  pp.  4!M-400i  describes  this  class  exhaustively.  Up  gives  a  drawing 
of  a  portion  of  one  of  those  howls  reproduced  from  Gamio  (Troc.  Inter.  Cong,  of 
Americanists,  London,  1912,  p.  184).  IIo  omits,  however,  Gamio's  hypothetical  rostora- 
tlon,  which  he  docs  not  consider  very  satisfactory.  My  photograph  (pi.  15,  fir),  which 
shows  a  bowl  with  two  handles,  the  third  of  which  is  missing,  indicates  that  Gamio's 
restoration  is  correct  with  (he  exception  that  he  does  not  clearly  indicate  the  usual 
break  made  in  the  outer  surface  of  the  howl  by  the  hole  running  down  through  the  center 
of  the  handle.  Seler  calls  this  class  of  pottery  "  howls  with  inner  handles  *'  (innerc 
Schalengriffe)  and  considers  that  they  served  as  covers  of  incense  vessels.  It  is  difficult 
to  see  how  this  is  possible.  The  face  shown  on  the  handle  on  plate  15,  g,  is  the  type 
called  by  Seler  the  "  ape  face." 


tozzbk]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  51 

elements  in  this  type  of  design  are  ropes  or'  fillets  of  clay.  There  is 
much  variety,  however,  in  the  designs  of  this  class.  Plate  17,  a,  shows 
a  simple  form,  a  rope  effect  along  the  rim  of  the  piece.  Another  form 
is  made  by  laying  a  ribbon  of  clay  along  the  surface  of  the  jar  and 
pressing  it  down  at  intervals  with  the  finger  (pi.  IT,  b).  This  form 
may  be  combined  with  a  molded  design  as  in  plate  17,  c.  A  more 
pleasing  form  is  made  by  spiral  pieces  of  clay  laid  above  a  line  of 
pellets.  Plate  17,  d,  shows  a  design  of  this  sort.  This  piece  is  very 
heavy  and  is  covered  with  red  paint  applied  after  the  olla  was  fired. 
Plate  17,  e,  shows  the  same  border  combined  with  a  modeled  bird 
form. 

Type  IX,  Embossed. — The  characteristic  feature  of  this  type  is  the 
addition  to  the  body  of  the  piece  of  small  pellets  of  clay  covering  at 
equal  intervals  the  whole  or  a  portion  of  the  outside  of  the  olla  (pi.  17, 
/) .  The  bosses  may  be  combined  with  incised  lines  (pi.  17,  g) .  A  com- 
mon type  of  Archaic  pottery  might  come  also  into  this  class.  There 
is  a  heavy  rim  and  at  frequent  intervals  along  the  rim  bosses  or  rib- 
bons of  clay  are  attached  (Boas  Album,  pis.  37,  9, 12,  and  pi.  55,  5,  6). 

Type  X,  Carved. — It  has  seemed  best  to  place  in  a  separate  class 
that  type  of  pottery  in  which  the  decoration  seems  to  have  been  made 
in  the  wet  clay  of  the  piece  itself  by  means  of  a  sharp  instrument. 
Plate  17,  h,  shows  a  shard  of  this  type.  The  design  is  similar  to  that 
of  plate  17,  e,  but  the  technique  of  the  two  is  quite  different. 

Type  XI,  Stick  polished. — This  is  a  type  of  black  pottery  usually 
in  the  form  of  small  globular  vases  which  have  a  rough  texture. 
The  simple  design  of  straight  lines  is  made  by  rubbing  down  parts 
of  this  rough  finish.  The  polished  or  smooth  portions  of  the  sur- 
face form  the  design. 

Type  XII,  Painted,  Coyotlatelco  type. — There  is  a  type  of  painted 
pottery  that  is  found  at  this  site  more  frequently  than  in  any  other 
hitherto  excavated.  It  has,  therefore,  been  called  the  "  Coyotlatelco 
type,"  as  the  center  of  its  manufacture  may  have  been  here.  It  is 
clearly  Toltec,  and  most  of  the  pieces  here  described  came  from  Pits 
XV  and  XVI  and  from  the  deposits  in  the  wells.  There  is  an  Archaic 
type  that  is  superficially  similar  to  this.  The  latter  shows  less  polish, 
however,  and  the  design  in  red  on  the  outside  is  more  roughly  done. 
The  Coyotlatelco  type  consists  of  a  yellow  slip  with  a  rich  red  de- 
sign. It  has  a  good  polish.  The  yellow  varies,  sometimes  becoming 
a  cream.  The  shapes  of  the  vessels  also  vary,  the  most  common  form 
being  the  bowl  with  or  without  solid  legs.  The  designs  are  found 
either  on  the  outside  or  on  the  inside.  Rarely  is  the  same  piece 
decorated  on  both  sides.  The  design  is  usually  composed  of  several 
elements  arranged  in  horizontal  bands  around  the  olla  and  separated 
by  solid  red  lines  sometimes  1  cm.  wide.  A  solid  band  almost  in- 
variably runs  around  the  edge,  usually  on  the  inside.     The  elements 


52  BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN   ETHNOLOGY  [bull.  74 

of  the  design  are  mainly  geometrical  with  a  number  of  curvilinear 
figures.  Life  forms  are  seldom  represented.  There  is  a  decided 
difference  between  the  designs  on  the  outside  and  those  on  the  inside 
of  the  pieces.     These  will  be  considered  under  two  classes. 

a.  Interior  designs:  These  are  usually  better  drawn  than  those  on 
the  exterior,  with  a  greater  definiteness  of  outline  and  a  greater  use 
of  the  continuous  band.  The  most  common  design  is  an  undulating 
curve  running  continuously  around  the  piece  (pi.  18,  «,  b).  This 
serpentine  line  may  appear  running  vertically  across  a  decorated 
band  (pi.  18,  c).  A  variation  is  seen  in  the  S  or  Z  shaped  figures 
distributed  along  a  zone  (pi.  18,  6)  or  arranged  in  definite  lines 
around  the  piece  (pi.  18,  d).  Still  another  allied  type  is  composed 
of  interlocking  C's  (pi.  18,  e).  This  passes  into  the  scroll  (pi.  18,  /). 
A  variation  of  the  scroll  is  seen  in  plate  18,  g-i.  Another  very  com- 
mon design  on  the  outside  of  the  ollas  is  a  stepped  figure  in  solid  red 
bordered  by  a  single  narrow  stepped  line  (pi.  18,  d-f,  and  Bo:is 
Album,  pi.  57,  9).  Other  common  designs  are  as  follows:  A  triangle 
in  solid  red  bordered  by  a  single  line  with  the  apex  of  the  triangle 
to  the  right  or  left  of  its  base  (pi.  18,  k,  and  Boas  Album,  pi.  57,  6). 
a  series  of  triangles  or  semicircles  forming  a  band  around  the  piece 
(pi.  18,  b,  ra),  a  checkerboard  design  as  a  decoration  in  the  bottom 
of  the  bowl  (pi.  18,  g) ,  and  a  design  difficult  to  describe  (pi.  18,  /) . 

b.  Exterior  designs:  There  is  a  greater  variety  in  the  colors  used 
on  the  exterior  of  the  pieces  than  those  used  on  interior  designs. 
The  yellow  slip  may  be  overlaid  by  a  creamy  white,  especially  on 
the  decorated  border,  and  bands  running  down  the  sides  at  right 
angles  to  the  border.  The  undecorated  portion  usually  has  the  regu- 
lar yellow  color.  As  already  pointed  out,  there  is  a  decided  difference 
in  the  character  of  the  designs  on  those  pieces  decorated  on  the  inside 
and  the  pieces  decorated  on  the  outside.  When  the  exterior  has  any 
decoration  it  usually  covers  the  greater  part  of  the  surface.  There 
are  two  fairly  well  defined  types  of  exterior  decoration.  The  first 
shows  many  similarities  in  arrangement  to  that  on  the  interior. 
When  the  banded  designs  running  around  the  piece  are  found  they 
are  usually  combined  with  broad  stripes  of  red  alternating  with  finer 
lines  running  down  the  side  (pi.  19,  b) .  The  most  common  exterior 
designs  of  this  type  are  as  follows:  The  double  line  cross  (pi.  19, 
a,  b),  the  crescent  (pi.  19,  a),  the  single  volute  (pi.  19,  <z,  c),  a  contin- 
uous line  of  volutes  (pi.  19,  d),  and  the  S  curve  (pi.  19,  c,  e) .  A 
design  clearly  representing  the  human  footprint,  as  shown  in  the 
manuscripts,  is  found  on  two  pieces  (pi.  19,  /',  g).  The  stepped 
pyramid  combined  with  the  scroll  is  seen  in  plate  19,  it. 

The  second  type  of  exterior  design  is  bolder  and  less  well  drawn 
than  the  first,  described  above.  The  lines  are  thicker  and  often  of 
a  darker  red.    There  may  be  large  or  small  circles  of  solid  red  (pi. 


Tozzer]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO  53 

19,  i),  parallel  lines  running  vertically  around  the  piece,  spirals, 
serpent-like  figures  (pi.  19,  &), frets  (pi.  19,  I),  and  a  few  which 
clearly  go  back  to  flower  forms  (pi.  19,  m).  Suggestions  of  bird 
forms  also  occur.  The  border  may  show  the  finer  design,  while  the 
body  of  the  piece  may  have  the  wider  line  and  rougher  decoration. 

This  type  with  the  exterior  decoration  often  shows  a  very  dark- 
brown  or  even  black  color  on  the  slip.  It  is  a  question  whether  this 
should  be  considered  in  a  different  class.  The  designs  are  exactly 
similar  to  those  which  have  the  usual  yellow,  and  it  seems  as  if  the 
darker  color  was  due  to  smoke  in  the  manufacture. 

Type  XIII,  "  Lost  color:'' — This  type  of  pottery  is  recognized  over 
large  areas  of  Middle  America.  The  slip  in  the  examples  from  this 
excavation  is  usually  yellow,  with  or  without  wide  lines  of  red.  The 
color  of  the  main  design,  composed  often  of  concentric  circles,  has  dis- 
appeared, allowing  the  base,  a  smoky  gray,  to  appear.  The  shards 
showing  this  type  are  all  small  pieces,  and  it  is  therefore  impossible 
to  determine  the  shape  of  the  pottery  of  this  class.  This  type  might 
more  properly  be  called  "  negative  painting,"  as  the  paint  making  the 
design  has  disappeared  and  the  figures  come  out  as  a  negative  on  the 
color  of  the  base. 

Aztec  types. — There  is  usually  very  little  difficulty  in  recognizing 
the  decorated  pottery  from  the  Aztec  culture.  There  are  a  number 
of  well-defined  and  well-recognized  types.  The  amount  of  Aztec 
pottery  found  in  this  site  was  not  large  and  no  attempt  will  be  made 
to  describe  any  types  other  than  those  met  with  in  this  excavation. 

Type  XIV ',  Red  polished  Aztec. — The  common  forms  of  this  type 
are  as  follows :  The  vase  with  round  body  and  a  long  flaring  neck, 
those  in  the  shape  of  an  hourglass,  and  bowls.  The  pottery  is  red, 
with  a  brilliant  polish,  and  the  design,  very  often  a  fret,  is  in  black 
paint.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  a  faintly  incised  line  following 
the  design  very  roughly.  There  is  another  variety  of  the  red  polished 
ware.  It  usually  shows  slightly  less  polish,  and  in  addition  to  the 
black  design  on  the  red  slip  there  is  also  a  design  in  white.  This 
latter  color  is  much  less  permanent  than  the  black  and  often  has 
disappeared  in  many  places.  The  white  is  found  directly  over  the 
black,  outlining  the  black  or  forming  a  design  of  its  own.  In  some 
cases  the  black  design  is  missing  and  only  the  white  appears  on  the 
red  slip.  This  class  of  red  ware  with  the  black  and  uneven  white 
designs  is  also  found  to  some  extent  at  San  Juan  Teotihuacan.  It 
is  therefore  impossible  to  place  it  definitely  in  the  Aztec  culture. 

Type  XV,  Wide  line  Aztec,  Culhuacan  type. — This  is  the  well- 
known  wide-line  Aztec.  It  may  be  called  the  "Culhuacan  type," 
as  it  is  found  in  great  abundance  in  that  locality.  The  slip  is  yellow 
and  the  designs  are  in  black.  They  are  hurriedly  drawn  and  sketchy 
in  appearance.     The  common  shapes  are  as  follows:  Shallow  and 


54 


BUREAU   OF   AMERICAN   ETHNOLOGY 


[BULL.  74 


deep  plates  with  or  without  three  legs,  bowls  of  all  sizes,  and  pitch- 
ers. There  is  often  an  incised  or  stamped  design  in  the  bottom  of 
the  plates.  It  is  not  necessary  to  describe  the  designs,  as  this  type 
is  well  known. 

Type  XVI,  Fine  line  Aztec,  Tezcoco  type. — This  is  the  type  with 
designs  similar  in  general  to  that  of  the  former,  but  the  lines  are  much 
finer  and  the  designs  are  more  carefully  drawn  (Boas  Album,  pi.  67). 
It  may  be  called  the  "  Tezcoco  type."  The  slip  is  yellow  and  the 
design  is  in  black.  It  is  a  well-recognized  type  and  need  not  be  de- 
scribed.    Few  examples  of  either  of  these  two  latter  types  were 

found  at  this  site. 

Type  XVII,  Orange  Aztec. — 
This  t}'pe  is  characterized  by 
a  dull  finish.  The  slip  is  a  yel- 
lowish orange  and  the  design 
is  very  often  floral  in  char- 
acter. 

Pottery  shapes. — Very  few 
complete  pieces  were  found. 
Wherever  possible  attempts 
have  been  made  in  the  pre- 
ceding description  to  indicate 
the  shapes  of  the  various 
types.  Plate  15,  g,  shows  a 
well-recognized  Aztec  type  of 
olla.  It  was  found  in  the 
upper  levels  of  the  excava- 
tion. 

Pottery  feet.  —  There  is  a 
large  variety  in  the  supports  of  the  different  types  of  pottery.  The 
round  straight-sided  bowls  usually  had  three  small  solid  feet.  Many 
other  supports  were  hollow,  with  or  without  perforations.  The 
most  common  form  of  decorated  support  is  seen  in  figure  9.  This 
is  clearly  Toltec  in  type  and  was  found  on  a  bowl  with  the  molded 
decoration.     The  feet  of  this  class  were  themselves  molded. 


Fig.  9. — Pottery  foot. 


As  this  mound  is  the  first  of  the  kind  to  be  excavated  completely 
in  the  vicinity  of  Mexico  City,  care  has  been  taken  to  indicate  the 
order,  the  methods,  and  the  reasons  for  the  various  steps  taken.  This 
paper  is,  therefore,  a  study  of  method  quite  as  much  as  a  study  of 
results.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  other  mounds  similar  to  the  one  here 
discussed  will  be  excavated.  It  is  only  after  several  of  these  have 
been  studied  that  many  of  the  perplexing  questions  arising  in  the 
present  case  can  be  answered.    The  spectacular  side  is  lacking  in  an 


tozzbk]  EXCAVATION   AT   SANTIAGO   AHUITZOTLA,    MEXICO.  55 

excavation  of  this  kind  as  compared  with  investigations  on  such 
structures  as  the  pyramids  of  San  Juan  Teotihuacan,  but  the  im- 
portance of  the  excavation  of  the  smaller  sites  is  great  if  we  are  to 
reconstruct  the  culture  of  the  prehistoric  peoples  of  the  Valley  of 
Mexico. 

Harvard  University,  2If.  May,  1919. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Boas,  Fbanz.  Album  de  colecciones  arqueologicas.  Publicaciones  de  la  Escuela 
International  de  Arqueologia  y  Etnologia  Aniericanas,  1911-1912.  Selec- 
cionadas  y  arregladas:  Mexico,  1912. 

— .  Summary  of  the  work  of  the  International  School  of  American  Archae- 
ology and  Ethnology  in  Mexico.  American  Anthropologist,  n.  s.,  vol.  17, 
pp.  3S4-391,  Lancaster,  1915. 

Chabnay,  DlisiRE.  The  ancient  cities  of  the  New  World,  being  travels  and  ex- 
plorations in  Mexico  and  Central  America  from  1857-1882.  London,  1887. 
(Translated  from  the  French.) 

Gaiiio,  Manuel.  Arqueologia  de  Atzcapotzalco,  D.  F.,  Mexico.  Proceedings 
Internationa]  Congress  of  Americanists,  XVIII  sess.,  London,  1912,  pp.  180-187, 
London,  1913. 

Haebeklin,  Herman  R.  Types  of  ceramic  art  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico.  Amer- 
ican Anthropologist,  n.  s.,  vol.  21,  pp.  (M-70,  Lancaster,  1919. 

Selek,  Eduakd.  Die  Teotiuacan-Kultur  des  Hochlands  von  Mexico.  Gesammelte 
Abhandlungen  zur  Amerikanischen  Sprach-  und  Alterthumskunde,  vol.  5, 
pp.  405-585,  Berlin,  1915. 

Tozzer,  Alfred  M.  Report  of  the  Director  of  the  International  School  for  1913- 
1914.     American  Anthropologist,  n.  s.,  vol.  17,  pp.  391-395,  Lancaster,  1915. 

.     The  domain  of  the  Aztecs  and  their  relation  to  the  prehistoric  cultures 

of  Mexico.     Holmes  Anniversary  Volume,  pp.  4(!4— 16S,  Washington,   L916. 

56 

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BULLETIN    74      PLATE   5 


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BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN   74      PLA1 E   6 


o.  Southwestern  corner  of  excavation,  showing  Room  IX  with  foundations  of  pillars,  Floor  II,  and 

Room  X. 


b.  Northern  Extension  with  Room  XII,  Floors  M  and  B',  and  Room  XIII. 


BUREAU    OF    AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN    74      PLATE   7 


a.  Southern  Extension  with  Rooms  XI,  IX,  and  X,  and  southern  end  of  Room  II. 


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6.  Northern  Terrace, looking  west,  with  Room  VI,  Floor  B',  and  Room  XIII. 


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BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN    74      PLATE  9 


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A.  Archaic  body  from  tunnel  under  Room  II.    B.  Archaic  body  from  Pit  XVI.     C.  Toltec 
body  from  Pit  XXV,  above  wells.    D.  Archaic  figurine.    E,  E.  Archaic  head. 


BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN   74      PLATE    10 


A.  Toltechead  with  holes  in  forehead,  from  tunnel  under  Room  II.    /;.  Toll  ec  Qgurinefrom  beneath 
Floor  A.    c  Toltecbead  and  body  from  Flour  Ji.    D,  E.  Toltechead  of  God  Xipefrom  1'ii  XV. 


BUREAU    OF  AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN   74      PLATE   11 


A 


I 


Toltec  figurine,  Coyotlatelco  type,  from  Pit  XVI.    B.  Toltec  figurine,  Coyotlatelco  type,  from  wells. 
C.  Toltec  figurine,  Coyotlatelco  type,  from  excavation  to  west  of  road. 


BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN    74      PLATE    12 


B 


-* 


-l.  Aztec  head  from  above  floor  of  Room  IX.  K.  Aztec  head  from  above  floor  of  Room  II. 
C.  Crude  Aztec  figurine  from  above  Floor  B.  J).  Crude  Aztec  figurine  from  above  Floor  A. 
E.  Crude  face  from  i'it  XV.  F.  Grotesque  head 'with  perforations  on  nose.  O.  Animal  figurine 
from  above  floor  B.    //.  <  >wl  head  from  Pit  XVI. 


BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN!    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN    74      PLATE   13 


B 


A.  Ocelotl  head  from  Pit  XVI.  B.  Deer  head  from  Pit  XVI.  (7.  Deer  head  attached  to  olla  from 
near  surface  in  southwest  corner  of  site.  D.  Animal  figurine  from  Pit  XV.  E.  Hollow  figure  of 
deer  from  upper  levels.     F.  Portion  of  serpent  head  from  above  Floor  M. 


BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN   74      PLATE    14 


INCENSE     BURNER,     SHOWING     THE     USE     OF     ADORNOS     ON 

THE    COVER. 


BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN   74      PLATE   15 


A,  B.  Incised  Toltec  pottery,  Typo  Ha.  C.  Incised  Toltec  pottery,  Type  He.  D.  Grooved  Toltec 
pottery,  Type  V.  E.  Undecorated  Aztec  olla.  F.  Molded  Toltec  pottery,  Type  Yllb.  G.  Three- 
handled,  molded  Toltec  pottery,  Type  VHd. 


BUREAU    OF  AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN    74      PLATE    16 


A.  Molded  design.  Type  Vila,  from  Pit  XXV.  /;.  (folded  design,  Type  Vila,  from  tunnels  under 
Room  I.  C.  Molded  design.  Type  viib.  i>.  Molded  design,  Type  Vile,  from  I'ii  XXV. 
E.  Molded  design,  Type  VITd,  from  Pit  XV.    F.  Molded  design,  Type  VTIe,  from  Pil  XXV. 


BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN    74      PLATE    17 


A 


Lgm,  #x 


A,  B.  Fillet  design,  Type  VIII.  C.  Fillet  design,  combined  with  molded,  Type  VTIT,  from  under 
Floor  A.  D,  E.  Fillet  design,  Type  VIII,  from  Pit  XV.  F.  Fmbossed  design,  Type  IX. 
O.  Embossed  design,  combined  with  incised  lines,  Type  IX,  from  wells.  //,  Carved  design, 
Type  X,  from  tunnels. 


BUREAU    OF   AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN    74      PLATE    11 


A.  Painted  interior  design,  Coyotlateloo  type,  Type  Xlla,  from  Pil  XV.  H,  /•'.  Painted  interior 
design,  Coyotlateloo  type.  Type  .Vila,  from  Jtoum  IX.  C-E,  O-M.  Painted  interior  design, 
n, yui  latelco  type,  Type  x  I  la,  from  l 'it  XVI. 


BUREAU   OF  AMERICAN    ETHNOLOGY 


BULLETIN   74      PLATE   19 


Painted  exterior  designs,  Coyotlatelco  type,  Typo  Xllb,  from  t  uniiel  under  Room  V 


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